A Stronger Fairy Tail
by grassfire101
Summary: In a world where Anna decided to train the kids of Fairy Tail, many new things have happened. New threats are appearing and are stronger than ever as the bonds of Fairy Tail must strengthen to combat them. Lucy and the others will discover each others secrets and as they help each other through challenges, as secrets of their family begins to be found in the dark. [Resetverse]
1. Chapter 1

**The Escape**

 **Grassfire101: Now without further ado, Here is our main star: Miss Lucy**

 **Lucy: Hello and welcome to The Stronger Tail**

 **Aquarius: Hey you better not be forgetting about us**

 **Lucy: I wouldn't dream to, because I'm pretty sure if I did, I would be swept up in your wave**

* * *

 **Now on to the disclaimer**

 **Lucy: **Another thing before we go, Grassfire101 doesn't have any rights over** **Fairy tail or its characters****

 **Lyra: All rights belong to Hiro Mashima**

 **Lucy: Remember to Read, Review, and Comment**

 **Crux: Now get ready to sit back and read**

* * *

She felt suffocated in the house that she lived in. She couldn't take it anymore; she needed to get away from him. She spent years in this house trapped from her father and she was done with it. It was already the year X783 and she was done with her father trying to marry her off to the highest bidder.

She wanted something else with her life that her father could never offer her. She didn't want marriage to some rich snub who would order her around all day. That was what her father wanted and what he was planning to get if she continued his path. She wanted love but not like that, she could remember all the stories that her mother told her, telling her how some knight in shining armor would sweep her off her feet. She promised herself something else, she didn't want to be saved by a knight, and she wanted to find someone who could view her as an ally instead of some object.

The only thing she wanted in her life was adventure, something her father wouldn't allow. But now, her father forbade her from traveling anymore, saying that a lady of her status shouldn't spend time exploring anymore. She couldn't live like this anymore, staying in one place as her father prepared her to get married.

A month after her mother died, Lucy was sent to a boarding school in Stella where she learned everything that she knew about celestial spirits. The professors at the school taught Lucy about the different laws of the celestial spirit realm, the different celestial spirits as well as the different passive abilities of celestial magic. At the school they used to go on adventures with her classmates. On a few of those adventure, Lucy was able to train in her celestial abilities as well as gain a few new keys from the rewards. At the school, she was taught a few new abilities like partially opening a gate and learning how to read the stars, just to name a few.

Every day she spent a few hours training with her different mentors, who she learned were assigned to teach her after her mother's death. Mrs. Spetto decided to teach Lucy, some of the magic spells that her mother left for her, so far, she only managed to master seven spells which each caused her excessive amount of fatigue, every time she casted them. Bero was the teacher who decided to teach Lucy how to fight in combat and helped her make nutrition plans; so far, she learned a new fighting style that taught her how to combine her acrobatic skills with her general combat skills. Aed was the teacher who taught Lucy how to fight with different weapons that her mother's old spirits had like Cancer and Taurus; who both belonged to Spetto and Bero respectively.

She wanted to gather more friends and develop her magic, something she knew she couldn't do if she just stayed here. Her father wasn't just holding her hostage, but he was also doing it to her spirits as well. He treated her like a little kid, deciding when she could see her spirits and then trapping them.

" _Leaving is the only possibility of finding out what actually happened to Mom. Staying here won't help me find out my family secrets. Gathering more celestial spirits and traveling around the world may help me complete the goal of gathering the Zodiacs. I also want to discover the killer who is targeting Celestial Wizards. Finally, I can learn more about the secret of the One Magic that my mother talked about," Lucy thought to herself._

Luckily Lucy was smart enough to pack everything that she wanted in the celestial spirit realm, days ago with her spirits help. She packed all the daily necessities shortly after her magic lesson with Aed, who allowed her to spend some free time with her spirits. She spent hours with her spirits bickering about what kind of food she should pack for herself. Lyra recommended that Lucy should bring fruits while Aquarius suggested that she pack a few piece of sea foods that they had in the refrigerator. Horologium continued reminding her to pack vegetable and dairy foods while Crux continued to remind Lucy about nutrition.

The day later, after her philosophical lesson with Spetto, she spent the entire day going through the books in the library. Lucy with all her spirits help throughout the day going through all the books in her family library. She packed a few different books relating all about celestial spirits that her mother used to own, hoping to one day read them so she could expand her magic knowledge.

Yesterday she spent the entire day packing up all her clothes and the final few items that she needed to bring. She packed a few accessories and jewelry in case of a situation and a few lacrimas for convenient use. Finally, she packed all the jewels that she saved from the years of doing mission with Anna.

She then went to have a conversation with Mrs. Spetto about her adventure.

"Mrs. Spetto, I think it is time for me to leave. I can't take it anymore with what Father is doing. He is already planning on me to get engaged to Duke Janell in the next year. I've already talked to you about going on my own journey for about a year now and the stars have given me a sign."

"What sign has the stars given you?"

"They are telling me to go travel to the West for a while, but I was told that when the year is up, I should travel back to Hargeon," Lucy prophesize.

"Lucy, are you sure this is the right thing to do? I know you want to leave and I respect your decision and I will allow it since your mother told me to help you. But are you sure that you will be safe," she asked.

"I'll be fine, after all I'll have my spirits to protect me in case anything goes wrong," the heiress stated.

" _Everything is almost set on my mission to leave. All I need to do now is wait till night time, and then sneak in to my father office to take back my keys. After all of that is done, I'll leave the house, but I really need to worry about my father men who will most likely try to stop me. If everything works out, my first stop is to Magnolia, since it's the closest from here," Lucy thought to herself._

She spent the rest of the day, doing her daily activities that her father expected. She went to her cooking lesson that Aed taught her, magic lesson that Bero taught, and then the philosophy class that Mrs. Spetto taught her. She continued to go to her seven other classes before it was finally night time. Her father demanded that she learned etiquette, finances/ economics, philosophy, history, culture, science, cooking, dance and English class. Almost every night she was usually physically drained and had difficulties getting up the next morning.

Lucy decided to take one final look at her room, thinking back on all the fond memories that she had with her mother and father as a child. She took a piece of paper out before writing a letter to her father about why she was running away, feeling like she needed to explain.

" _It's finally time to get going on my mission. I'm going to miss this house and all the memories that I've had here. But I am also going to make you proud of me mother," Lucy thought to herself._

Lucy stared through the window watching as rain drowned the outside, thunder rumbling in the background. She walked to her door and for the last time pulled the knob from her room door before saying her farewells.

Darkness filled the hallway, as a tall shadow escaped from a room. The stealthy figure raced to the office, as murmurs of guards filled the outside of the office. The figure stopped as they stared at the guards who were outside the office.

" _What should I do if I want to get my keys? I don't want to attack these innocent soldiers who are just doing their job. But I don't want to leave my keys behind? What should I do right now," Lucy pondered to herself._

She spent several minutes thinking on what to do to the guards. She hated hurting innocents' people when it came to fight, but it was necessary if she wanted her keys.

She the recalled a celestial lullaby that Lyra taught her which could inflict sleep on a target. She began to sing the song as she placed magic energy into the lyrics.

"I'm getting tired," one of the guards announced.

Lucy continued singing, placing at much magic in her voice as she could to drain the guards of their conscious.

Once the guards were asleep, Lucy took a deep breath before extending her right arm to open the mahogany door. She could feel the stress of the world weighing down on her as she grasped the doorknob slowly turning it and the door opening.

Lucy opened the door to the office. The lights were turned off allowing the darkness to consume the area. Lucy quickly switched the light on to look around the world. She knew her father often hid her keys in his office as she spent days spying on him.

A few minutes passed with her roaming through the entire office trying to figure out where her keys were. She looked all around but to no avail could she finds her keys, it was like they just vanished. It took her a while before she finally walked toward his desk where she went through his draw.

She was ruffling through the papers on her father's desk but unfortunately, she could find nothing relating to her keys. As a result, she swiftly started to pull open the draw taking all her father stuff out. It eventually got to the point where she found her key ring, underneath her father books.

She stared at her key ring and to her surprise she found Aquarius golden key and all her silver keys on her key ring. She was quite lucky that she was able to negotiate with her spirits about helping her for a day in return of having 1 week off.

Time passed as she picked up her keys when she suddenly heard footsteps near the door.

 _"I need to figure out a way to trick these guards," Lucy thought to herself._ Lucy could hear the door creak as she heard talking and she went to hide behind her father desk.

"Open, gate of the Big Bear, Ursa Major," Lucy announced as a silver glow appeared and a few seconds later a young dark skin woman appeared with long brown hair.

"My child, what can I do for you today?"

"I was wondering Mama Ursa if you would be able to take down the guards that will be coming in here soon. But could you take them down quietly, so they wouldn't be able to call for reinforcements," Lucy asked.

"I can do that for you, my child but please hide so you'll be safe," the woman asked.

The door opened to be none other than her father's night time guards.

"Someone was in here and it looks like they stole something," one of the guards noticed as they walked over to the window.

"Maybe they're targeting Miss Lucy if they're stealing books relating to Celestial Magic," another guard thought.

" _Wait, they think the thief is going after the books that I took from the library. If they think I'm in danger, then they'll go check if I'm in my room. If that happens, then my escape was pointless, and I'll get caught," Lucy thought._

She watched as Mama Ursa got behind the two guards and with just a flick of her fingers, froze the two guards solid.

" Mama Ursa, I need you to take down as many guards as you can and if you need to transform into your bear form. Go all out, but don't kill anyone, okay," Lucy commanded.

"Will do my child," the woman agreed as she ran out the room firing shards of ice.

" _I need to think of something to defeat all these guards," Lucy thought to herself as her keys began to glow._

" _Miss Lucy, let me protect you from them," Horologium telepathically told her._

" _I can easily sing these guards to sing Lucy," Lyra sang to her._

" _I can wash these guards away," Aquarius brought up._

" _I can come up with a strategy for you Miss Lucy," Grandpa Crux announced._

" _I have some burnt food that I can throw at them," Fornax stated._

" _I can scout the area for you," Musca announced._

"All of you thanks so much for supporting and sticking with me," Lucy muttered to her keys as tears streamed down her face.

She took one of her silver key, which she got as reward from one of the mission that she took at her school. Lucy began placing enough of her magic energy to the key hoping to open the gate.

"Open Gate of the Fly Constellation, Musca," Lucy chanted as she watched as a silver magic circle appeared before Musca appeared.

Musca was a tiny little fly that was barely able to be spotted from the human eye. The little fly got on Lucy shoulder and the girl began to explain to the spirit the situation.

" _I need you to scout around the house and find me the best route to escape," Lucy asked. She then watched as Musca began to replicate into four more little fly just like it, before it flew off._

During the time she spent waiting, she decided to walk toward the window to see if she could escape from there. Lucy walked toward the window and for some reason felt a strong wave of energy by the window.

" _Father must have had someone cast a dispelling spell on the window. So, if I even try to escape through the door, I'll probably be drained of my magic," Lucy rationalized with herself._

Lucy continued to hide behind the desk where she then began to wonder how Ursa was doing against the guards. As much as she wanted to fight alongside all of her spirits, she knew that she needed to conserve all of her magic to make sure she could still fight.

She then heard a low **buzzing** sound come from over her shoulder where she saw the little Musca's flying towards her. They began to buzz something to which Lucy could understand as to what they were telling her.

"So, you're saying that on the west wing of the house is occupied by about ten guards but no magical energy. While the east wing has a high magic energy but not many guards. The north wing has magic energy and minimum guards and the south wing that Ursa is has high magic energy and guards. Finally, you mean to tell me that my father has guards circling around the house," Lucy translated.

The spirit nodded its head and returned back to the celestial spirit realm. Lucy felt Ursa Major key beginning to glow in which Lucy could only understand that she needed help on the way.

Lucy quickly ran out of the door, feeling her legs rushing with blood as she ran toward her home door. She continued running as she spotted multiple guards near her, sneaking past them. The next sentence was the one that determined her fate.

"Miss Lucy is missing from her room," a guard announced.

"I heard there was an intruder in the house," another stated.

" _If they find me, then my whole attempt will just be a failure."_

She bolted through the guards, hoping to get near the main entrance door.

" _Crap, I need to hurry or else all the guards will get me," Lucy thought to herself._

"We found the intruder and it looks like they have Miss Lucy keys," a guard pointed out as they began running after her.

She took one of her silver key, which she got as a birthday present from her father. Lucy began placing enough of her magic energy to the key hoping to open the gate.

"Open Gate of the Lyre Constellation, Lyra," Lucy chanted as she watched as a silver magic circle appeared before Lyra appeared.

Lyra appears to be a young girl. She has waist length hair that curls at the end and wears a pink bonnet on top of her head. Her cheeks have round blush marks, and she wears a long dress with heart prints by her waist.

"Lucy, why don't you summon me more often," Lyra complained.

"It's because of your contract, if you want we can work some changes on your contract later," Lucy stated.

Lyra began singing one of her songs hoping that it would reach the guards hearts.

"What-" All of the guards began squinting their eyes as their body wish of sleep was slowly being granted by the enchanted voice.

"Thank Lyra," Lucy then swung her whip, disarming all the guards, knocking their weapons to the ground.

"Good Luck Lucy," Lyra then faded away to the spirit realm. She could already feel her magical energy weakening as she kept Ursa gate opened.

"Open gate of the clock constellation, Horologium!" Lucy chanted as she watched as a silver magic circle appeared before Horologium appeared.

Lucy sensed a source of magic power coming from the end of the hallway. It was nowhere near as high as her mentor Anna's, but it was somewhere along the line of her old friend Levy. She was kind of happy that she taught how to sense magic energy from Aed. She walked toward the end of the hallway, being cautious of the person with magic power as she saw Mama Ursa now transformed into a bear and fighting against the guard.

When out of nowhere, she felt something aiming right towards Mama Ursa, she tried telling her spirit to move out of the way but couldn't.

Lucy closed her eyes as the person got closer to her spirit, not looking to see if the person would reach her spirit. In shock, she watched as her spirit fell to the floor from an attack. She opened her eyes, to see Ursa Major fading into silver, returning to the spirit realm.

She eventually saw a man whose face was hidden behind a white mask with black eyeholes and red lines above the eyes. He wore a dark gray hooded cloak which is fastened just below the collar and hides most of his body. This was one of the four mage that her father hired a month ago to protect the house. He was a member of some group known as the Carbuncle and from what Lucy knew he could manipulate shadows.

"Shadow-Make: Eagles," he started to imagine eagles of darkness going from his right hand and his energy started to take form. Soon eagles of black energy slowly started trying to reach towards her.

In a quick second, the man faded into the shadow wielding a knife resulting in Lucy being concerned from where he would appear.

" _Will this be how I die? Will I die trying to escape this nightmare," Lucy thought to herself._

A few seconds later and Lucy felt a comforting arm drag her body. She watched as Horologium dragged her into his body barely getting her to avoid the attack from the barrage of knives and the eagles.

"Horologium are you okay," she asked, concerned that her spirit was injured from the barrage of knives and eagles that sliced his body.

"I'm fine Miss Lucy, but I recommend that you be cautious from now. Please use the rest of my power to aid yourself with a partial summoning. I can't protect you anymore today, so you need to stay safe," Horologium told her as he faded back to the spirit world.

Horologium faded, and the shadow maker jumped toward Lucy before grabbing her by her throat, causing her to feel dizzy. Lucy struggled to break free trying to move her legs slowly turning to mush. He started to dig his sharp fingernails into her neck causing blood to trickle down like a river. Lucy continued to flail trying to escape as he clenched his left fist tightly. He quickly slammed his fist into the stomach of the cloaked figure. Lucy was gasping for air from the punch as she felt her insides jump back and her brain started crying for help.

Lucy could feel her blood rushing and her heart racing as she felt a rush of energy. She could feel blood rushing through her legs and she swiftly moved her legs and sent a powerful kick at the mage groin. He lost his grip on her and as a result Lucy fell straight to the ground.

"I'm not going to give up," Lucy stated with determination as she slowly began standing.

"It's people like you that piss me off the most. The people that continue to stand up when they know that they should stay down, the people that continue to fight when they obviously can't. The people that carry a hope of winning and never let go of it. It's those people who annoy me to no ends! And that's why I'll kill them all!"

He swiftly ran toward Lucy clenching his two fists before slamming them into her stomach. Lucy staggered for a bit but didn't feel pain at all, her adrenaline rushing as she began to get angry. She wasn't going to give up and she wouldn't allow him to bring her to her father. She briskly started to bend her left leg and it collides into his side causing him to stumble.

" _I need to use everything that my spirits and teachers taught me. It's time that I fight with my spirit, no more waiting for them to do all of the work," she declared to herself._

Lucy took out a gold key from her belt before placing enough of her magic energy to the key hoping to open the gate. "Open gate of the Giant Crab Constellation, Cancer!" Lucy chanted as a golden magic circle appeared from her key.

"What can I do for you, ebi," Cancer asked as he began slicing the air with his scissors.  
"I need your help in taking this guy down," Lucy ordered as she grabbed her whip from her side.

"Shadow- Make: Tendrils," he stated as shadows appeared from underneath the floor and tendrils of black energy slowly started trying to reach toward Lucy and Cancer.

With quick speed, Cancer swiftly ran towards the tendrils and with one hit from his scissors, the tendrils began to fade.

The man started to imagine shadow darkness going from his right hand and his energy started to take form. Soon shadows of black energy slowly started trying to reach towards her as he faded into the ground.

"You should realize that every shadow can be found by the light," Lucy stated as she took Cancer key and poured energy into it causing light to illuminate the room. Once Lucy could see the shadow, she took her whip and swung it, watching as the shadow faded and the man soon fell to the ground.

" _So, this summoner actually is talented to say the very least. I guess it's time to show off my true strength," the shadow- mage known as Chase thought to himself._ He then took a few knives from the inside of his cloak and began throwing them at the summoner.

She then took her whip and swung it at the man watching as she caught him, and she then threw him to the wall.

" _Cancer try deflecting all of the knives," Lucy asked as she poured her thoughts into his key._ Lucy then took her whip and began pouring celestial energy into her whip as she spun it around her, watching as she deflected a few flying projectiles.

Chase then started to imagine shadow going from his right hand and his energy started to take form of a gorilla.

Lucy watched in astonishment as a gorilla began running towards her. She took her whip and swung it at the gorilla watching as it took her whip and her to fly towards a wall. Her body collided into the wall as her hood fell off and she began rubbing her head in pain as she slipped the hood back on.

She then watched as Cancer quickly dodged the gorilla attack and began slicing the gorilla watching as the two fought for a while. Lucy smiled as Cancer scissor cut through the gorilla as it faded away.

Lucy took her whip and swung it at the man watching as he dodged her swing. Cancer soon appeared as he was distracted and began slicing his arm watching as blood fell on the ground.

"I'm bleeding, that's an experience that I have not went through for years. Well I guess it times that I cast my shadow magic secret art attack: Never-ending nightmare!"

The room was consumed in shadow as Lucy felt wolves that were biting down on her as she cried in pain as she continued to get attacked from all sides from a variety of different animals attack her.

" _Ebi, I can only talk to you for a few seconds, but you are currently trapped in a spell that is draining your magic. I'm going to attack the mage and hopefully buy you enough time to perform the spell Constellation Fury, it the only way that you can be freed from his attack as well as defeat him in battle. "_

" _I won't use that spell Cancer, we both know that it damages the spirit as a result and I can't allow you to be in anymore pain than you already are. I know, what if I use Falling Stars, that spell should be enough to beat him."_

" _Lucy, if he wasn't draining your magic, I would surely recommend that you cast Falling Stars. But as you know, Constellation Fury does not require the mage to draw on magic from the body but through the key. It's my job as a celestial spirit to protect my mage and I don't care if I have to go through a little pain to make it happen."_

" _I don't want you hurt Cancer! Please, there must be another way," Lucy exclaimed._

" _It makes me happy to know that I have a celestial wizard that cares about me. I'm going to do all in my powers to channel all my magic into my constellation, so I don't feel a lot of pain."_

"Cast the spell Lucy," Cancer screamed as he sliced the shadow mage, giving Lucy a few seconds to cast the spell.

"May the 88 Heavenly Body

Judge you for your transgression

Constellation Fury!"

Lucy took Cancer key and pointed it at the man, soon golden stars began to form as the constellation of Cancer's appear in the air and rain a variety of weapons as water enveloped all of them before slicing down all the guards in the vicinity of the house.

"Lucy good luck in your quest," Cancer informed her as he faded into the spirit world.

" _Crux, how many more guards are there," Lucy asked telepathically, as she held her keys._

" _All of the guards that were in the house were defeated by the constellation fury spell," Crux answered._

She looked to see the shadow mage unconscious on the floor as blood was draining out of him. She hated hurting people and even if he worked for her father, she didn't believe that he needed to die, and she wanted to do something about it.

"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Horologium!" She chanted as Horologium magic began to spread through her body.

The theory behind a summoning was to open a Gate between worlds and beckon forth a spirit. The theory behind a partial summoning is to prop the Gate slightly open so that their power slips through the Void in between worlds and comes to ours, without the spirit themselves. Since the power needs a host, it automatically flows through the Stellar Mage.

By pooling magic into her hands, an orb of light generated around each clenched fist. It wasn't enough to cause any real damage but was easily enough to see by. She propped open the Gate nearly all the way, and more and more essence of the immortal spirit Horologium the Clock, poured into her.

Her glossy blonde hair, which was pulled into a tight, low ponytail, came undone. It shimmered in light like a summoning spirit, and after a moment shone dark brown like Horologium and her outfit changed to a dress that looked similar to a variety of clock hands.

This partial summoning gave her an ability that she was slightly confused of, allowing her the ability to manipulate time through a little pocket watch on her hand.

She was slightly confused in why Horologium never decided to use this magic but all she could of for that reason was because her magic power was not strong enough.

She placed her hand on the pocket watch and began turning it back a little, in hopes of reversing most of the wounds of the man while he remained unconscious. She watched as all of the blood vanished as he laid unconscious by the wall.

She then ran toward the exit, finally running out of the house, feeling free for once. She couldn't believe that she was finally done with all the pain that her father put her through. She began running from the house.

The minute she got out, she saw at least eight guards blocking the exit. She was getting tired of all this fighting, but she knew that it was necessary.

Lucy took out a silver key from her belt before placing enough of her magic energy to the key hoping to open the gate. "Open, Gate of the Furnace, Fornax," Lucy chanted as a silver magic circle appeared from her key.

Fornax was a little boy with red hair and a red sweater with red pants. He has blue eyes and holes burned in his clothes. He has a small, square, metal furnace that floats behind him everywhere he goes.

"I was working on a new recipe, but what can I do to help?"

"I'm going to need your help so hit them with all the fire your oven has." Lucy asked.

"Miss Lucy, you do know that it is raining outside right?" He looked to see the girl just nod began his attack.

Fornax nodded to the metal oven and it flew forwards towards the guards. The oven spouted a torrent of fire at the guards, and Lucy watched as some guards began running away.

She then took her whip and swung it at the guards watching as sent some of them to the guards.

She then decided to mess with the pocket watch again and this time allowed both Fornax and her to move in time.

The furnace began sprouting more fire at the guards and Lucy continued to use her whip to disarm the guards.

A few seconds passed, and the guards were no longer frozen in time. Lucy watched as only four guards were left to beat. She was getting tired of swinging her whip and wanted a little break.

She began to sing a lullaby as she placed magic energy into the lyrics.

"I'm getting tired," one of the guards announced.

Lucy continued singing, placing at much magic in her voice as she could to drain the guards of their conscious.

"Let's go Fornax" Lucy exclaimed at the chance of finally leaving this house. She began to run when she suddenly felt herself being lifted into the air.

"What is going on miss Lucy," Fornax asked. A few seconds later and the two were thrown to the ground.

She eventually saw a man who had long, unkempt turquoise hair and narrow eyes with small irises and pupils. He wore a black coat and mantle with silver highlights, white boots and white gloves. This was one of the four mage that her father hired a month ago to protect the house. He was a member of some group known as the Carbuncle and from what Lucy knew he was known as Dyst and he could use telekinesis.

Lucy got back up from the ground and began to use the pocket watch to allow them to walk through frozen time, even if it only gave them fifteen seconds to move.

She then took her whip and swung it at Dyst watching as she caught his leg and then she flung him up in the air.

Fornax then got behind him and spouted flames at the man watching as he got scorched a little.

Time resumed, and Lucy once again was lifted into the air. She tried to use the pocket watch one more time, but Dyst caught on and lifted the watch off her. With the watch removed, she could no longer use Horlogium powers.

" _Fornax, I'm going to try to hit him with my whip so when he is distracted, I need you to fire as much heat as you can at him," Lucy told him._

She was trying to move her right hand that her whip in but found that she was unable to.

" _Fornax, he must be using telekinesis to make sure that I can't move, so I'm going to need you to send fire at him. Hopefully that will distract him and allow me to move," Lucy told him._

"It's time to cook this fool! Flaming Roast attack," Fornax declared. Fornax metal oven flew forwards towards Dyst. The oven spouted a torrent of fire at him as well as burnt roasted chickens.

"What in the world," he said in shock as he used his telekinesis to redirect the chickens at the boy and girl.

Lucy now gained her ability to move her hands once again and she swung her whip at the projectiles. She watched as the flying chickens hit Fornax resulting in him closing his gate and returning back to the celestial spirit world. She looked in shocked as Dyst redirected the flames at her, causing her to close her eyes.

She was falling quickly and without a second to spare, she took out a golden key, placing enough of her magic energy to the key hoping to open the gate. "Open, Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius," Lucy chanted as a golden magic circle appeared from her key.

"Brat what do you want this time," Aquarius asked, as she created a torrent of water to douse the fire.

"Wash this man away, but make sure you don't hit the house," Lucy stated.

"I wanted to do that anyway," Aquarius released a huge amount of water from her urn at Dyst.

"If you think water is going to defeat me then your wrong" the man declared as he redirected the water at them.

Lucy tried to move but found that she was consumed in the water. She was having difficulties moving and was trying to figure out a way to beat him.

" _He's much stronger than you are. So, you need to figure out a way to beat this man before he kills you," Aquarius informed her._

" _What if I cast falling stars on him," Lucy asked._

" _That spell might be enough to defeat him, but how are you going to distract him, so you can cast it?"  
"I was wondering if you could use your torrent attack to distract him," Lucy asked._

" _Fine, but only to get you out of this hell hole. Once I'm done, you better give me a few weeks off," Aquarius demanded._

A few seconds later and the two were both lifted in the air. She once again released that he found a way to make it difficult for her to move.

"Have a taste of my water pillar attack," Aquarius screamed as she swung her urn towards Dyst creating a huge pillar of water that was aimed towards him.

He began trying to redirect some of them when Lucy began glowing bright yellow.

 _"Lights shatter through the sky_

 _rain down_

 _falling stars of the night."_

Lucy began to glow bright yellow as the night sky started to shine, raining down a barrage of stars falling onto Dyst.

She could barely move after casting that spell and she felt all of her magic fading away with the partial summoning from Horologium. She needed just a little more magic to escape but found that she couldn't.

" _Please give me a little more magic everyone," Lucy asked her spirits. She soon felt a burst of magic radiating from her keys giving her just enough magic to move._

She wanted to investigate a small town that was said to have some of the best desserts as well as meet the famous Moulin Rouge of Fairy Tail who was terrorizing the town.

"You'll be back here soon enough, trying to save your precious spirit," he said as he took a golden key out of his pocket. When the young girl was distracted, he was able to quickly snag one of her golden keys.

" _I used way too much magic energy tonight," Lucy muttered to herself as she felt exhausted from all the summoning that she did earlier._

* * *

 **Author Notes: As you can tell, there are various changes to the plot and this is only the beginning of new things.**

 **For the first thing that you might have realized is that Lucy does in fact have a few new keys that she never received in cannon, well a few more will be adding on soon.**

 **Another thing that I have changed is that Lucy now has a few magic spells as well such as Partial summoning, Constellation Wrath and Falling Stars to help her be more powerful so she is not a damsel in distress when she loses her key.**

 **Partial summoning is going to be only available to silver keys so soon enough she will build up on training to eventually use Star Dress much earlier in cannon**

 **One thing that may confuse most reader is most likely, why does Lucy have so much magic power to fight various people. The only answer that I will say is that Lucy figured out a way to conserve her magic a few days prior to allow her to have more magic built up so that she could summon more spirits that night. Another thing that helped her was the fact that partial summoning actually grants the mage more magic power through the spirit sharing their magic from the spirit world with their mage**

 **Finally, A stronger Tail and Trial of an Heiress are both going to be written at around the same time. A trial of an heiress is just going to cover a few events that occurred throughout the year she escaped while a stronger tail is going to cover the main story events with new changes/ alteration**


	2. Chapter 2

A New Beginning

 **Now on to the disclaimer**

 **Lucy: **Another thing before we go, Grassfire101 doesn't have any rights over** **Fairy tail or its characters****

 **Lyra: All rights belong to Hiro Mashima**

 **Lucy: Remember to Read, Review, and Comment**

 **Crux: Now get ready to sit back and read**

* * *

"We finally made it to Hargeon," a young excited blonde cheered.

"It sure has been a long time since I've been in Hargeon," Lucy mused. She only visited Hargeon twice and both times was as a child. The first time she was only as young girl with her parents who wanted to go on a little boat trip with her. She remembered spending most of the day looking at the water and having a fun time with her mother and father, and then going with her parents to have dinner at one of the restaurants.

The last time she went to Hargeon was shortly after her mother died with her father where she met up with her mentor Anna who she introduced her to a hyperactive dragon slayer by the name of Natsu Dragneel. She didn't remember much about that visit other than Anna taking her to the magic shop, where her father decided to buy her a Equuleus key, her very first celestial spirit that she enjoyed taking long horse back rides.

The past year was one of the most amazing years that she ever spent in all of her life. From all of the different people that she met on her journey through the ten different countries that she visited that year to the different culture that she experience and to all of the amazing food that she tried out. That past year was a journey of knowledge and strength; she was no longer a weak princess who needed a knight to save her. She was easily a stronger mage, being able to single handily take down a dark guild. But she failed at stopping the Zodiac Killer, who she discovered to be a member of the Oracion Seis known as Angel who was also a celestial wizard.

"Maybe I should go check out the magic shop to see if they have any new gate key," Lucy said out loud, not even caring if people thought she was crazy. Throughout the past year, she was able to get a few new keys; some of her new spirits had many unique forms of magic.

Lucy wandered throughout the town looking for the magic shop, forgetting where it was. The last time she was there was six years ago so she was forgetting how to get there.

" _I wish I had a navigation spirit to help me get there," Lucy thought to herself._ Lucy wasn't the best with directions, often loving the thought of wandering around the world seeing new things, but sometime she just wished she had a better sense of direction. She heard from one of her story that her mother told her about a spirit known as Pyxis who was part of a set of keys that she wanted to gather. She heard a rumor from Crux that if you had the set, you could actually combine them to create the Argonaut ship.

She heard another rumor from Aquarius that one of the Pyxis keys was actually in Hargeon so she wanted to go collect it. She spent at least fifteen minutes looking around the port town, trying to find the magic shop. She finally gave up, going to a little café to get a strawberry smoothie before buying a Sorcerer Weekly magazine, before finally asking someone where the magic shop was.

" _So this is the magic shop in the town," Lucy thought as she stared at the little store._ It was a tiny little store consisting of magic items and weapons, in the commercial district of Hargeon.

"Hello young lady, welcome to Wacky Magic," the old shopkeeper greeted as she walked in the magic shop. She began walking around the magic shop, looking around at all of the merchandise and weapons.

"Young lady, if there is anything you need help with, just ask," the old man stated as he went to the counter.

"Excuse me mister for asking this, but how many magic shops are there in Hargeon," she asked.

"I'm afraid that we only have one magic shop in this town. The people round here are more fishing folk than they are magic folk. I reckon that most people in town don't even know how to use magic. I built this shop to sell to the wizards who happen to be passing through. Does that disappoint you?"

"A little, but hey at least there is a magic shop. I was wondering if you had anything that you thought was interesting. I'm not really picky or anything," Lucy asked.

The old shopkeeper smiled brightly," I have just the thing you might like!" He poked around his counter and pulled out pink box that had the words Colors on it.

"This color magic is popular. All the young girls really seem to like it. It lets you to change the color of your clothes any time you like."

He smiled, "Like this!" He slid over the mirror like surface and his shirt began to change from blue to purple. Lucy was impressed but she rolled her eyes in annoyance as the shopkeeper continued changing his shirt multiple times from brown to yellow.

"I'm sorry mister, but I already have one of those. I bought mine in Joya a few weeks ago," Lucy explained.

"That's a shame, but I take it that you're quite the traveler. Where are you from," the man picked up as he asked her.

"Yep, I've traveled all around the continent this past year, meeting so many wonderful wizards and shopping at various different magic shops. I'm actually from Fiore," Lucy answered.

"Do you have anything that you're really looking for? My store may look like there isn't much, but if I know what you want, I can go look to see if I have anything you want," he told her.

"I was actually wondering if you have any celestial gate keys," Lucy requested.

"As a matter of fact I do! This is a rare request but I have two. I take it young lady, you're a celestial wizard?"

"Yep as a matter of fact I am. My mother was a celestial spirit mage so she taught me all about the magic," Lucy explained.

"I can recall all my selling of magic items and I actually sold a key to a young girl that looked like you. The last time I ever sold a celestial spirit key was six years to a young girl; I believe the key was an Equuleus," he recalled.

"I can't believe you actually remember that! That key was the first spirit that I actually formed a contract with. I was actually wondering if you ever sold a celestial spirit key to a girl that looked a little older than me," Lucy asked.

"It's a little hazy but about twenty something years ago, I sold a woman the gate of the Lyre," he told her, thinking about the young wizard.

"That woman was my mother and I guess she bought Lyra's key from you," Lucy said, feeling like she was slowly following through her mother footstep. She didn't know much about her mother, and how she came to gather her keys.

"I think her name was Layla and she used to always visit me and my wife, summoning her spirit to play a song. She actually helped comfort me after my wife died, summoning her spirit to play a song," the man recalled.

"My mother died seven years ago, so I actually have the same key that you sold her. If you want I can summon that key and the one my father bought here for you," Lucy suggested, showing the old shopkeeper her keys.

"Wow, you sure take good care of your keys, this is one of the reasons why I love selling items to wizards. I want to see my stuff get taken care of and used daily. If you could, I would love to see those spirits."

"Open Gate of the Lyre Constellation, Lyra," Lucy chanted as she watched as a silver magic circle appeared before Lyra appeared. A few months ago, they agreed to change up the contract to make it so Lucy could summon her a little more.

"Hey, Lucy would you like to hear a song," she asked happily as she stared at the old shopkeeper, before her face widening, remembering how he took care of her key as she talked to him.

"Hey how about I sing a song a," Lyra suggested. Lyra then began to sing her song, and the lyric resonated with Lucy heart. She didn't know, but the songs seemed like her mother last message to her through her spirit. Tears were streaming down both hers and the storekeeper as she continued singing.

"Thank you so much Lyra for that beautiful song." A few minutes passed as they took in the meaning of what the song meant to them.

"I was wondering if I could see which key you had," Lucy asked as her spirits decided to stay by her side.

The old shopkeeper walked toward the case that held the two keys, before opening it and showing it to her.

"That the gate of the compass, Pyxis and the other one is gate of the Cans Minor, Nikora," Lyra explained to Lucy as she stared at the key, awing at how good the key was taken care of.

"I take it you would like to purchase both keys," the old shopkeeper asked as he stared at a smiling Lucy, who was relieved that the rumor Aquarius told her was actually true.

"I would love to buy both of these keys!"

"This will be about twenty thousand jewels."

The minute Lucy heard that price, she basically celebrated in joy. Most of the time, one gate key alone would sell for at least twenty thousand jewels. She quickly took her jewels out and paid the shopkeepers before taking her two new gate key.

"Next time you come to Hargeon, stop on by," the old shopkeeper said as he waved farewell to her.

Lucy was walking out of the store with Lyra as she gleefully looked at her key. She felt at peace walking with her spirit, something that they often did to comfort her.

"Salamander is here!"

Lucy and her spirits plugged their ears at the loud squealing and yelling.

"I know Salamander from Fairy Tail is famous and all but is the yelling and squealing is unnecessary," Lucy complained.

They saw a large crowd being gathering around an individual and shrugged her shoulder," Might as well see what all the fuss is about."

 **Meanwhile**

"Oh man, I round up riding the train twice," a young salmon hair boy whined.

"You got to get over that motion sickness," a blue little cat told him as it walked alongside him.

"I'm so hungry I could eat my hand," the boy whined.

"It's too bad we spent all our money on those train tickets," the blue cat reminded him.

"Hey, this Salamander that we're looking for, has got to be Igneel right?"

"It has to be, because the only fire dragon that we've ever heard of is Igneel," Happy reassured.

"That is true," Natsu stated.

Their conversation took a pause when they witnessed a large crowd of girls in the plaza of the city, all screaming out "Salamander."

"Salamander you're so dreamy," a few girls shouted.

"Hey Natsu did you hear that? They said Salamander," Happy said.

Natsu nodded," Speak of the devil, we're in luck today!"

"Aye," Happy announced. The two fairy tail wizards ran toward the crowd of girls hoping to find Igneel.

 **With Lucy and Lyra**

Meanwhile, on the other side of the crowd Lucy and Lyra was approaching the crowd with curiosity. Pushing through the crowd, she stopped and thought she saw the most handsome man in the man.

They saw a man with blue hair wearing a black cloak, white shirt, and red pants. Lucy was beginning to feel her heart beating out of control as her eyes literally became hearts.

" _Why is my heart beating so fast? What has gotten into me all of a sudden," Lucy thought to herself._

"You lady are all so sweet," he then turned his head toward the blonde haired girl and her spirits who just watched in annoyance of the mage.

" _He looked at me! Is it because he's a famous wizard that my heart is throbbing out of control? Could it be that I'm in love and that he's the one_ ," Lucy continued thinking. She began to step closer to the man, wanting to get closer to him when…

"Igneel it's me," Natsu screamed out causing Lucy to fall out of the attraction between the blue haired men.

"Who the heck are you," Natsu asked as he realized that the man wasn't Igneel.

"Who is he? He's Salamander, surely you've heard of him before," the man standing by Salamander told Natsu who was disappointed as he walked away.

That was when all of the girls attracted to Salamander went and tried beating up Natsu and Happy.

"Salamander a great wizard," the girls defended.

"You better apologize to him or we are going to rip you to shred," they said as they continued attacking Natsu.

" _Is that Natsu," Lucy thought to herself as she stared at the people getting beat up by the wild hordes of girls._

"That man's horrible, using charm magic to make girls attracted to him," Lyra muttered in disgust as she stared at the man.

"We need to help that guy," Lucy told her spirit as she stared at her old friends getting beat up.

Lyra began to sing a beautiful melody, resulting in a few of the girls to slowly doze off to the song as the others stopped attacking Natsu.

"Miss Lucy, I'll be going now," Lyra told her as she faded back to the spirit realm.

"Now, now, that's enough my lovelies. Let him go. I'm sure the poor boy didn't mean anything malicious by it," Salamander told the girls who cheered at him.

"And here's is my autograph kid. Now you can go brag about it to your friends," the man said as he took out a little sign and gave it to Natsu, who wasn't interested in it.

Salamander quickly announced his party on his yacht inviting all of the girls. He snapped his finger and purple flames consumed his allowing him to fly out of the area.

"That's… obviously not him." Natsu groaned in disappointment.

"Who the heck was that guy," Happy asked.

"I don't know but that guy was a weird creep," The two turned around and saw a blonde-haired girl.

The blonde-haired girl stared at the two before smiling. "Thanks for what you did back there!"

"Hey how about I explain what happened earlier during a good lunch. Lunch is on me," Lucy stated.

 **Hargeon Restaurant**

Sure enough Natsu and Happy began eating like they were royalty to Lucy's amusement, watching as food was getting thrown around.

"Who are you," Happy asked, confused in why Natsu and Lisanna were happy to see this girl.

"My name is Lucy," Lucy introduced.

"So it's Happy right?" Lucy stared at the blue cat, not at all remembering who he was, wondering when Natsu got him.

"Natsu, how come I've never met Happy," Lucy asked, wondering why she never saw him before, even after going to Magic School with him.

"That's because I wasn't allowed to bring him to school, the school officials said he would be a distraction for me," Natsu explained.

"Actually I should be thanking you guys. That man from before claimed to be the famous Salamander but he was using charm magic in order to sway people towards him. Charm magic loses it effects once the victim knows what's happening."

Natsu pondered on what he had just heard Lucy say. "That magic was outlawed years ago, was it not?"

Happy nodded, "Yeah, actually, the Magic Council has prohibited it since x780."

Lucy took a break from eating to scoff. "Talk about a weirdo. Creeps like him shouldn't be trusted."

Happy raised his eyebrows. "So what does that charm stuff have to do with us?"

"Well when you guys entered the crowd, you broke the charm on me."

Natsu just shrugged," Make sense but why are you here anyway?"

"I came here hoping to find ways to improve my magic. I heard a rumor from Aquarius about a celestial spirit being at a magic shop, so I went and bought it about an hour ago," Lucy stated.

Happy examined her before speaking. "So what kind of spirit was it?"

"It was the gate of the compass, Pyxis. A spirit that is great at direction and is known to be a tracking spirit," Lucy explained.

Happy continued to ask Lucy questions, wanting to know more about the mysterious friend of Natsu . "What guild are you from?"

Lucy just rubbed the back of her head," Well, none yet. The guild I want to join is the most popular one there is. They're the greatest and they are always featured on Sorcerer's Weekly," Lucy fangirled.

"You talk too much," Happy complained.

"Weren't you two looking for Igneel," Lucy asked.

"We heard a guy named Salamander was in this town but instead it was some poser. He didn't even look like a real life Fire dragon," Natsu stated.

"I'm sorry to burst your little bubble, but why the heck would a dragon be in the middle of a town square," Lucy said outraged at her friend stupidity.

"So Lucy have you heard anything about Anna and where she is at," Natsu asked.

"I haven't actually, I've been traveling around Ishgar the past year. But she told me that she was off searching for the ancient Dragon key," Lucy explained.

"The Dragon Key," Natsu asked, wondering what it was.

"Yes, the ancient Dragon is known as Draco, the Celestial Dragon," Lucy explained. Anna told her a few years ago about searching for the original Celestial Dragon key, sure there was various silver dragon keys, but the key that her ancestor was looking for was a unique key.

They talked a little more about the ancient dragon key before talking about Lucy journey through the various different countries.

"What's wrong Lucy," Natsu asked as he saw her expressions soon becoming pensive.

"I'm sorry to ruin this joyous occasion, but I wanted to talk a little more about that Salamander creep. It's just a hunch, but I think I've seen the guy who was pretending to be Salamander before."

"He is known Bora of Prominence; he was a fire magic user. Formally of the guild Titan Nose, he was kicked out when he was discovered to be a slaver," Happy explained as he took out a book from his bag.

"He's a fire mage, that mean I can get some grub tonight," Natsu cheered thinking about what the fire that Bora used would taste like.

"We have to stop him." She said resolutely as she realized the sick implications of the information she had just heard.

"But, if we're going after Bora, we need to make a plan somewhere a little more private," Happy said as Lucy went to pay the bill.

"Thank you Ma'am and please come again," one of the waitress announced.

They entered an alleyway that was close to the restaurant.

"So, that poser mentioned having a party on his yacht, we should go in all guns blazing?" Natsu proposed, as he thought of burning up the boat. However his idea was quickly debunked by Lucy.

"But Hargeon a port town, how would we know which boat is his?" she explained, "And even if we got the right one, Bora said the party would be tonight, for all we know, he might have backup."

"I think our only option is to bait him out so I'll go look for him," Happy suggested.

"Leave it to Happy," Natsu stated happily, as a pair of angelic wings sprouted from Happy's back and hovered into the air. He flew off to search the city from a bird's eye view.

 **Hargeon Park**

Happy flew above a tree to investigate the source of girls screaming; he turned and nodded to indicate that it was Bora causing the cheers. He quickly flew back to his companions telling them that he was coming near them.

Lucy was in the park reading Sorcerer's Weekly Magazine chuckling at how the guild was always destroying things; "They really are destructive aren't they?"

Happy flew toward Natsu, so he wouldn't be recognized by the rogue slave trader, who was turning the corner.

Bora set his sight on the girl, his interest piqued and luckily for them, .

"Hello there ," he said in a suave tone, attempting to use his charm magic. "Are you perhaps interested in meeting a famous mage," he asked, as he created a small purple flame.

"Perhaps our meeting was fate," Bora said, gently taking one of Lucy's hands. "You see I am a wizard of a famous guild, it's called Fairy Tail and I am the Salamander. If you come to my party that's being held on my boat, I could talk to the master and convince him to let you join! Besides that, I wouldn't mind having such beautiful new additions to our ranks," he said planting a kiss on the back of Lucy's hand.

"You're too kind," Lucy giggled, internally she using every ounce of her willpower not to gag.

"How will we know which yacht is yours?"

"Very easily my dear, a series of firework will spell out 'Salamander' above my yacht, sadly not all of those who I invited will be able to attend due to capacity issue. But if you'd like, I can get you two special entries."

"That would be wonderful, thank you!"

"Then that settles it, I look forward to seeing you at my party tonight," Bora said, exciting in the same way that he had done earlier.

Once he was out of sight, the three mages all high-fived one another, knowing that they were able to deceive a criminal.

 **At night**

Within a few hours, the sun was beginning to set. Lucy quickly left the group for a few minutes to change into an appropriate dress for the party. the three worked out their plan, Lucy would infiltrate the party while Natsu and Happy would remain on standby. Lucy would then signal them to come fly down they needed help.

Exactly as Bora had told her, his yacht was easy to find not only for the fireworks but it also stood out among a gathering of cargo vessels. "How nice to see you again," Bora greeted from the doorway at the top of the deck. "The other lovely ladies are already aboard, please, follow me to my personal quarters."

She followed their target as he led them up to a room located at the highest point from the main deck. In the center of the room was a large seat big enough for three people with a gold frame and purple cushions, in front of it was a mahogany table. The rest of the room was filled with various different cupboards, which most likely was storage for alcohol.

"Please take a seat," Bora instructed, her doing so as he rummage the cupboard, soon taking out a bottle of wine and a glass

She began watching to see what he was doing.

"So can you tell me what your name is?"

"My name... is Ashley," she expressed. It was a fake name that she went with, that was actually her powerful cousin name to say the least.

"You have such a lovely name," Salamander complimented her as they were talking.

"Yeah thanks," Lucy was wearing a nice red dress with a pleasant smile, though inside she was screaming to escape.

"Enjoying the night? Perhaps some wine to add to the sweetness," Salamander asked as Lucy sat in a private cabin.

"I would like to toast to your beauty," Salamander raised his wine in the air. He raised his hand and droplets of wine floated in towards her.

"Now open up wide, Ashley. Savor the taste of each flavorful drop as it enters your mouth," Salamander said seductively watching as the droplet of wine was getting closer to her.

" _Creepy! I'm strong, I can get through this," she reminded herself as the droplet of wine was getting closer._

Lucy didn't show it, keeping a stoic face but she did know it was drugged having gotten a bad vibe from the wine glass.

"What do you think you're doing? I know what you're up to, you're trying to use sleep magic," Lucy announced as she swatted away the droplets.

"I know you aren't the famous Salamander so stop lying, Bora of Prominence. Also before you get any funny ideas, don't even think about trying to use your Charm Magic on us because it won't work, you worthless scumbag," Lucy declared.

Bora stiffened," Worthless scumbag…?"

At his words, the men all came out of hiding as they were carrying unconscious tied up girls.

"What's going on around here," Lucy asked, not at all sensing any magic power from Salamander's men.

" _That must be the reason why I couldn't sense any of his men," Lucy thought to herself._

Salamander stood up abruptly, "Welcome abroad my ship. And you'd be wise to behave yourself until we make it to Bosco. Don't make me angry," he grinned at her.

"We're going to Bosco? You told me that you would get us in Fairy Tail," She argued. Bosco was the one place that Lucy didn't exactly enjoy that much, the past year she only spent about two weeks there.

"Forget it, I only said that so I could lure you here and make you one of our slaves," he revealed, telling Lucy his master plan.

"That's our Salamander, all right," one of his men said proudly.

"We got a big haul this time," another stated.

"Why you," Lucy said taking out her celestial spirit keys, ready to fight to save everyone.

She then began to fire a signal for Natsu and Happy to see by pointing her key to the sky and watching as fireworks appeared out of it.

Lucy began thinking of which celestial spirits, she was allowed to summon today. She took one of her silver keys out," Open Gate of the Big Bear , I summon thee Ursa Major ," Pointing the key before her, a silver magic circle appeared and a dong noise was heard.

Ursa Major was in her bear form and was now a humongous grizzly bear with sharp claws.

"What kind of spirit is that?"

"It's not normal!"

 _"My child, what can I do for you today?"_

"I was wondering Mama Ursa if you would be able to take down these criminal," Lucy asked.

 _"I can do that for you, my child but please be safe," the bear expressed._

"You used magic to take advantage of others. You're the worst wizard alive!" Lucy was disgusted at what the man was doing reminding her about her father.

The ceiling above them was blown open and down came Natsu and Happy who looked furious.

"What in the world?!"

Salamander used this opportunity to launch a wave of fire at Lucy which proved effective, grabbing her keys and taking them from out of her hand.

"These are gate keys. You're a celestial wizard. Only the wizard who is contracted can use this magic," He informed his men as he held onto them.

 _"Child, do you want me to get your keys for you," Mama Ursa asked._

 _"No, this is my fight, so please go and defeat the criminals," Lucy answered._

"Give me back my keys now or suffer the consequences," Lucy ordered as she took her whip out.

"Do you think I'm scared of you? How about you just go cry about how I'm being mean to you," He taunted, hoping to see the girl give up and become his slave.

"The funny thing is in the past, I would've done that, believing that everything was over. But after all the pain that I was put through, I won't allow you to harm my friends. My spirits have been with me through hell and back. So I won't betray them by letting you take them," Lucy stated, feeling the warmth of her spirits as their key glowed, supporting her statement.

Lucy swiftly took her whip and lashed at Bora, determined to recover her best friends. They were the only ones that supported her through all the pain her father put her through. They made her life an adventure, saving her time after time on her journey the past year. Now she thought about it, her spirits were the light guarding her through the world.

She took her whip and swung it at Bora watching as it looped around his arm.

"Give me back my keys now, before I throw you to the wall," Lucy threatened, watching as he tried to act strong still. Lucy could briefly feel him trying to use his fire magic on her, causing her to use her signature move.

"You should realize something Bora; you should never fuck with a celestial wizard and her keys. Lucy High heel Kick," she slammed her leg into Bora, watching as he fell to the ground. She then moved her hand back and sent him to the ship wall.

Lucy walked over to Bora, who laid on the ground in a fetal position. She then picked up her keys, happy to recover her best friends.

Natsu had Happy flying him around and his fist was consumed in bright fire and he began to punch one of Bora's men.

Lucy watched as Mama Ursa claws turned to ice and she began striking them down.

Bora then fired a wave of flames at Natsu watching as the plumes of smoke appeared from the two attacks. Lucy coughed as she struggled to see through the smoke, taking her whip and attempting to attack a few goons.

" _I won't be much help, if I can't see them," Lucy thought to herself as she came up with an idea._

 _"My child, go and summon her, if you want to save everyone."_

"Happy please fly me to the shore," Lucy asked, planning to summon her strongest spirit to help save everyone.

"We can't let her escape or else she'll tell the magic council about us," Salamander screamed. He began to fire waves of magic at her, which Happy began to evade.

"Oh darn it, my transformation is up," Happy said as his wings faded and they plummeted to the water.

On the water surface, Lucy dipped a golden key into the water.

"Here we go, Open Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius!" A golden magic circle appeared and a dong noise was heard. Aquarius was a blue mermaid who had light blue hair and a long fish tail with her blue eyes staring angrily at Lucy. She wore a revealing dark blue bikini top and she held an urn in her hand.

"Now listen up Aquarius, I need you to use your power to push that ship back into the port," Lucy demanded.

Aquarius however just scoffed and ignored Lucy.

"You're supposed to come from the spirit world to help, not to give me attitude!"

 **On Salamander Ship**

Back on the ship, Salamander was scanning the water attempting to find the escapees. He needed to stop them before they contacted the magic council. However a majority of his men were kicking the boy that was suffering from motion sickness while a humongous bear began swatting his men away from the boy.

"Don't just stand there you idiots! Find them," Bora ordered, muffled as he covered his mouth with his cape from the smoke.

 **Back with Lucy**

Aquarius then released the water from her urn and hurled it at the boat causing Lucy to be swept into the water. It created a tiny tsunami that lifted the yacht up and back toward the shore. The yacht crashed into the shore and beached itself into an upright position.

"What the big deal! Couldn't you at least try not to sweep me along with the ship," Lucy said angrily.

"Oh that was an accident, I wasn't aiming at the ship," Aquarius stated.

"Wait that means that you were aiming at me!"  
"Don't call me for a while unless you're in grave or serious danger because I won't come. I'm going on a week-long vacation with my boyfriend and he's hot," Aquarius said as she disappeared.

"You don't have to rub it in!"

* * *

Suddenly there was a loud bang that came out from the main deck; Lucy and Happy looked up to see Natsu.

"So you claim to be a member of the Fairy Tail Guild?"

"So, what's it to you? Go get him men," Bora ordered. His men began running toward Natsu, ready to attack him.

"Let me get a closer look of your face," Natsu stated as he threw off his cloak. The men got close to Natsu, trying to attack him before being sent flying from a punch.

"My name is Natsu. I'm a Fairy Tail Wizard. And I've never seen you before," he shouted angrily.

"That mark on his arm, that guys the real deal Bora," One of his men told him.

"I have no idea what you're planning to do here buddy and I don't care if you're a good guy, bad guy or what. I'm not going to let you dirty the Fairy Tail Guild name!"

"And what are you going to do about it? Stop me? Prominence Typhoon," Bora yelled as he fired a huge amount of flames at Natsu.

Natsu noticed the flames and he began to consume it, bringing back memories for Lucy of all the time he would eat flames.

"I've got a fire in my belly that is just raging to get out, Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu roared as he released a huge amount of flames at Bora's men.

"Red Shower," Bora summons forth his Magic Seal, from which a number of fierce, purple flames in the form of elongated circles fired at Natsu.

Natsu began to consume the fire eating all of it before redirecting it at Bora. The fire attack overpowered Bora, sending him flying to the ground.

"Hell's Prominence," Bora summoned forth his Magic Seal by placing his arms before him, and building up purple energy in front of it. The energy is subsequently released into a large, long and powerful laser-like beam at Natsu who ate the flames up.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist," Natsu engulfs his fists in flames and punched Bora in the stomach sending him flying to the clock tower.

"Natsu you made quite the mess, now gramps is totally going to get us," Happy stated as he looked at the destruction, that they made.

"I can help fix that problem. Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Horologium!" She chanted as Horologium magic began to spread through her body.

By pooling magic into her hands, an orb of light generated around each clenched fist. It wasn't enough to cause any real damage but was easily enough to see by. She propped open the Gate nearly all the way, and more and more essence of the immortal spirit Horologium the Clock, poured into her.

Her glossy blonde hair, which was pulled into a tight, low ponytail, came undone. It shimmered in light like a summoning spirit, and after a moment shone dark brown like Horologium and her outfit changed to a dress that looked similar to a variety of clock hands.

She placed her hand on the pocket watch and began turning it back a little, in hopes of reversing most of the destruction that they caused.

"Uh… guys we have a problem," Happy said with urgency in his voice, the three mage looking at the direction that Happy was pointing at. They instantly took note of the battalion of heavily armed Rune Knights heading straight for them.

"We need to go," Natsu said as he took Lucy right hand.

"What?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"You wanted to go to Fairy Tail, don't you?" He asked. It took Lucy a few minutes to process the implications of Natsu question. Grinning, the Celestial mage began running with Natsu and Happy away from the Rune Knight.

With this, the meeting of an old friend brought upon a great adventure for the Celestial mage and her soon-to-be fellow guild member, she knew that she could Fairy Tail, her home.

* * *

 **A/N: This is essentially my take on Fairy Tail, in a world where Anna actually encountered the dragon slayers after passing through the Gate.**

 **However a few things has changed in the story such as Lucy getting Pyxis key earlier on. The old shopkeeper is going to be a reoccurring character and will the FT version of Ollivander from Harry Potter, having all sorts of knowledge about Layla and celestial spirits.**

 **Basically this story is going to focus a lot on character interaction and development with Lucy as the main character. The rest of the cast will rotate depending on the situation/ arcs.**

 **I've also given Lucy a few new keys or even changed the abilities of pre-established forms . Yes I will also develop the other cast powers so characters like Erza, Gray, Natsu, and even Juvia may get some upgrades**

 **As for ships in this story, I won't answer question on which ships will be included since I want this story to be enjoyed for its plot and characters, not its pairing.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter and feel free to make suggestions for the story, I can't guarantee that they will be used , but I'll see them nonetheless. I also can't guarantee when each chapter will be out, but expect at least one every two weeks.**


	3. Chapter 3

The Fairy

 **I just wanted to thank everyone who followed and favorited this story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. Just the OC's that I wrote**

* * *

 **In Era**

In a room consisting of ten council members, they all began to read over the list of complaints about the fairy tail guild.

"Those stupid brats from Fairy Tail have done it again but this time, something strange occurred. From what I gathered from the information the Rune Knights informed, was that the port of Hargeon was destroyed but some kind of time mage did something and fixed the damages," a council member stated.

"A time mage huh, maybe they will finally start to prevent all of the destruction that the guild usually makes," a council member known as Ultear said.

"Let's hope so," council member Yajima believed, relieved that his old friend may potentially have a mage that could rewind the destruction the guild caused.

"Either way, I'm quite fond of those idiots and their laissez-faire attitude," council member Siegrain informed.

"We should shut down that guild," a council member recommended.

"They may act like idiots, but we must not forget that they are a capable lot," Yajima reminded the council.

"Yes, that is true, they present quite the contrary," council member Leji said.

"It's quite disappointing that even with the magic academy that we provided for those wizard to help them control their power, that they still end up destroying things," council member Belno announced.

"I think that we should leave them be for now, after all if it wasn't for those fool then the world would be quite boring," Siegrain stated.

"Now we should focus on the more pressing concerns, such as the dark guild Einsenwald plan with the demonic flute known as Lullaby," council man Crawford moved on in the conversation.

"What information do we even have about the dark guild Einsenwald and their plan with the flute?"

"We sent a few spies and agents to uncover that the Einsenwald guild has already figured out the location of the flute. Our spies and agents already informed us that the guild is now uncovering a way to break the seals on the flute. That guild might be working with Tartaros to break those seals," council woman Belno informed.

"What if we make this a mission to take down that Einsenwald guild and stop their plans with the flute," Michello suggested.

"That could work but what if the Tartaros guild is actually working with Eisenwald. For all we know, we could be sending a group of wizards to their death," Yuri countered.

"I propose then that we make this at least an S-class mission," Siegrain suggested.

"We'll send it out to the guild as a mission and hopefully it will be completed before people are harmed," council woman Ultear commented.

 **With Natsu, Lucy and Happy**

"Wow… so this is the Fairy Tail Guild," Lucy said with bewilderment as she looked at the sign. She began inspecting the entire building, from the structure of the outside to the magic power that she felt radiating from the people inside the building.

"It's quite amazing isn't it," Natsu said as he smiled at the excited girl.

"We should go in Natsu," Happy stated as he was walking around.

Natsu nodded and took his right leg and kicked the door open while screaming," We made it back alive!"

"We're home," Happy announced as he flew inside, watching as everyone cheered for them as they walked in.

Lucy turned her head and began to notice a few mages that she met throughout her journey last year and from the magic school that she went through a few years ago.

Lucy noticed a man with buck teeth say," I've heard you went all out at Hargeon. You had to go start trouble didn't you," he said smugly.

Lucy could see that Natsu was frustrated and before she could even do anything, she watched as Natsu kicked the boy, sending him flying.

"Why would you do that," Lucy yelled at the man, even though she wasn't shocked at his behavior, as he was usually known for starting fights at school.

"You lied about that salamander! I'm going to kick your butt," Natsu proclaimed as he clenched his fist.

"Don't get mad at me! I'm just passing along a rumor I heard," the guild member known as Krov stated.

"It was just a rumor," Natsu whined.  
"You want to fight," Krov said watching as Natsu agreed to it.

"Now… now Natsu, I think you need to calm down," Happy said as someone collided into him, sending him flying.

"Wow… I'm finally standing inside the fairy tail guild," Lucy stood there in bewilderment as she held on to her suitcase. She didn't know what to do, now that she finally made it inside the Fairy Tail guild.

She watched as the guild members continued their fights, throwing another to knock other people down and ultimately destroying the guild hall. She realized that she needed to get somewhere safe in the guild as the fighting continued.

"So Natsu finally made it back," a raven-haired boy who was only wearing boxer yelled. Lucy squealed in embarrassment as she tried to look away.

"Gray, your clothes!"

"I don't have time for that," he retorted back as he went to fight his guild mates.

She began walking toward the bar area where she saw her familiar friend Cana who was drinking a glass of wine. Cana and she were friends for the past five years back at the magic school.

"Hey Cana, I finally made it to Fairy Tail," she said as she walked over to the girl who was watching her guild mates fight. Cana's eye widened as she saw her friend walk over to her.

"Lucy, it's been a while, I see that you finally made it here," Cana said with happiness as Lucy sat next to her and the two girls embraced in a hug.

"It sure has… it been two years, right?"

"Yeah, last time I saw you, was at the school graduation, from what I could recall, you still had another year left with Levy," she said as she sipped more wine.

"I did, and I finally graduated from the academy alongside Levy. I spent the last year traveling around Fiore learning more about the world," Lucy explained.

"So, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm kind of done being a freelance mage and I was thinking about joining the guild," Lucy explained.

"That would be amazing to have you as a member of the guild. But how did you get here exactly," Cana asked.

"I was actually traveling for a while until I reunited with Natsu in Hargeon. We then got in some trouble in Hargeon and we eventually ran away from Rune Knights," Lucy summarized.

Cana then took a barrel and began to drink as they watched Natsu attacking more people.

"Hey Natsu, fight me," Gray yelled as Natsu beat up a mage.

"I'm not going to fight you until you put clothes on," Natsu declared.

"So, does this fighting always happen," Lucy asked.

"This happen usually at least once a week," Cana answered.

Lucy then watched as a tall man with white hair and tan skin walk toward the fighting. "Is that Elfman," she asked.

"Yeah, that the famous Elfman that Lisanna used to always talk about. Lisanna was his younger sister and he used to help her run her little animal hospital," Cana said.

Lucy watched as Natsu and Gray tried to punch him, but he ultimately blocked them and threw them to the wall.

"This place is too dangerous for pretty girls like you," a young man with ginger hair declared to the two girls that was holding his arm. Lucy watched as Natsu threw a bottle at the ginger, causing him to fall on the floor.

Lucy didn't understand why, but she sensed a faint familiar celestial magic radiating from the ginger who got back up and declared that he would fight for the two girls to keep them safe.

Lucy took her sorcerer weekly magazine that was she holding and marked off his picture with a marker.

"He's definitely off my list. What is wrong with all these people? There is not one sane person in this place," Lucy grumbled.

"Hello, I take it that you are a new member of the guild," Lucy heard a young woman announced. She turned her head to see her idol Mirajane Strauss serving food and drinks. Mirajane was wearing a dark-violet top with thin straps that crisscross over, which showed off her waist. She wore a short black skirt and thigh high, black stiletto boots. Her white hair flowed freely from a dark ribbon, with long white bangs resting between her eyes. On her right arm was a bracelet with a skull.

"Your… the famous She-demon Mirajane Strauss, I'm a huge fan of yours," Lucy said with complete dumbstruck as she stared at the mage. She heard various tales about the women and to say the very least, was a huge fan of hers.

"It's been a while since I met a fan," she said as she placed the plates on the table. Lucy watched as someone threw a glass towards them

"Mirajane look out," Lucy shrieked as she saw the glass getting closer to them.

Lucy watched in amazement as Mirajane arm quickly turned purple and in a quick second she stopped the glass with her hand and Lucy felt a powerful magic energy shatter the glass.

"Shouldn't we stop them from fighting," Lucy asked her.

"As much as I wouldn't mind stopping them, this always happen so much that it's a weekly event. These fights usually settle down after a few more minutes," Mira answered.

"Hey, do you know where Levy is," Lucy asked the two girls.

"If I'm right, Levy is hiding over there," Mirajane pointed to a table that people were using as barricades.

Lucy began to sneak over toward the barricades when the raven-haired male suddenly collided into her causing her to fall.

"Give me back my underwear Natsu!" The boy screamed as he got up causing Lucy to shriek at seeing his nude body.

He then walked towards her and asked," Excuse me miss, but can I please borrow your underwear?"

"As if!" Lucy was beyond furious and shocked after seeing this man naked body, where she took her magazine and swatted him away from her.

A few seconds after she got him away from her, she suddenly felt someone pick her up to suddenly see the mage known as Loke carrying her bridal style. The mage said something to her, which she was barely able to hear before he got punched by Elfman causing her to fall. She continued trying to reach the barricade as Natsu kicked Elfman to the wall.

Cana was beyond annoyed at them for interrupting her drinking from the loud noise. "It's so loud, so much for having a drink to relax," she sighed as she put her drink down.

She then took out one of her magic cards and announced," That's enough you guys, I suggest that you knock it off," she threatened as she began releasing magic power from her magic card.

Gray who somehow miraculously retrieved his boxers from Natsu and now had it on, heard Cana threat decided to retaliate. "Oh yeah, says who," Gray retorted back as ice began to emerge from his magic circle.

Lucy watched in fear as Elfman hands began to turn into stone as he utilized his partial take over.

She then turned her head to see Happy walking up to her and she grabbed him, using him almost like a shield. She then looked to see Loke pressing one of his rings and magic flowing from it. "You punks can be such a nuisance."

The last person who began unleashing magic was Natsu who had two flames in his hand as he announced that he was ready to fight them.

"Happy, do they always fight like this," Lucy asked. Even in her days at the magic academy, they only fought when ordered to, not for fun. As much as she wanted to jump in on some of those fights, she restrained herself, in fear of ruining her ability to join the guild and believing that she wasn't strong enough to compare against them.

"A huh," Happy said without the least bit of concern in his voice.

"You don't seem worried," Lucy exclaimed, shocked that the feline wasn't afraid for his friend's health.

She then felt a tremendous surge of magic power which she was amazed she didn't detect earlier begin walking around. She stood in shock as a humongous kind of giant began walking around the guild. It then shouted, "Will you please stop bickering like children," as most of the people stopped fighting.

Levy who finally got up from the barricade smiled. "Hey master, I didn't know that you were here," she pointed out.

"He is the master," she exclaimed. Lucy was beyond amazed that the master of the guild was a giant.

Natsu however was an exception, "Oh wow, talk about a bunch of babies," he laughed at the rest of his guildmates. The master of the guild then got went and stomped on Natsu to make him quiet.

"Well, it seems like we have a new recruit," the master said with a gruff voice, scaring her. She then watched in amazement and fear as he began to shrink until she saw a tiny man with a white moustache wearing a white shirt with a black Fairy Tail stamp in the middle under an orange hoodie. His outfit was completed with matching orange shorts and an orange and blue striped jester hat.

"Nice to meet you," he happily said as he smiled at Lucy.

"He is super tiny! This little guy is really in charge of the guild," Lucy pointed out before feeling bad that she insulted him.

"Of course, he is, allow me to introduce to you Lulu, the third master of the Fairy Tail guild Makarov," Levy explained. Everyone then watched as the guild master Makarov leaped upward toward the second floor where he accidently hit his head on the rail. Lucy flinched feeling like that probably hurt as the guild master balanced on the rail.

"You brats have gone and done it again! Just take a look at all the complaints that the magic council sent me this time. This is the biggest pile of complaints yet! Have you kids lost your mind, all you kids are good for is getting the higher ups mad at me!"

Lucy observed how the guild master hands began to tremble and she assumed that the master was getting frustrated at all the damage that the guild usually caused as she could tell from her little adventure with Natsu in Hargeon.

"However, I say to heck with the Magic Council," he announced as the hand carrying the paper turned to flames and the complaints were now no more. He then threw the burning flame and Natsu quickly ran to eat it.

Lucy now wondered for a second if Natsu accidently ate some of the burnt paper from the fire, but she quickly brushed her thoughts aside.

"Now listen up, any powers that surpasses reason, must come from reason, right? Magic isn't some kind of miraculous power, it is a talent that only works when the flow of energy from inside us and the flow of energy from the natural world come together to form a perfect synchronization. To perform magic, one must have a strong mind and the ability to focus. It should take over your whole being and come from your soul. If all we do is, worry about following the rules than we will never be able to unleash the true potential that can come from your magic. Don't let the magic council, scare you, follow the path that you all believe in. Only then, will you be able to show the world your true power. That is what make the Fairy Tail guild number one!"

Everyone then cheered, and Lucy found herself motivated from that speech. A few minutes passed, and everyone went doing their own thing.

She then spent some time talking to Levy before finally deciding to go and get her own guild mark.

"So, are you ready to get your guild mark now," Mirajane asked as she got the guild stamper from behind the counter.

"Yes, I'm ready now," Lucy announced as she began thinking back on all the adventures that she took. She could think about all of the people that she met, and she knew that deep down she needed to get stronger. After all she still needed to go and rescue Cancer from her father. She thought for a second that maybe if she belonged to a guild that she could be a little more empowered to face her father eventually.

"What color would you like your guild mark? And where would you like for it to be placed," Mira asked.

Lucy began to think of where she wanted her guild mark before her mind flashed back to the woman that saved her many years ago who was from the fairy tail guild. She always seemed to wonder who actually saved here and wanted to discover who it was. That was when she honestly decided that for the best, she would have the same kind of guild mark as her savior from many years.

"Can I please have a pink guild mark on the back of my right hand," Lucy asked as Mirajane went and placed the guild mark on her hand. For some reason, getting the guild mark didn't hurt at all which shocked her.

"There, now you are an official member of the Fairy Tail guild," Mirajane told her. Lucy was beyond ecstatic about her guild mark and wanted to show it off to all of her friends like Levy, Cana and Natsu. She spotted Natsu who was talking about missions with Happy and ran over towards him.

"Hey Natsu, look Mirajane just put the official fairy tail mark on my hand," Lucy exclaimed as she showed them.

"Congratulation, welcome to the guild Luigi," Natsu told her, as if he didn't really care.

"Natsu for the five hundredth time, the name is Lucy," she groaned as she walked over to Levy and Cana who were both sitting near the bar area.

She sat down next to Levy at the bar to converse.

"Levy and Cana, I'm officially a member of the guild now," Lucy exclaimed as she showed them her guild mark.

"Congrats, Lulu now we can officially do some mission together and I have a huge list of books that I need to discuss with you," Levy announced.

"We can finally do some missions together and I can have my very own designated body guard make sure that nothing happens when I go and hit the bar," Cana shared.

"Lulu remember that you promised me that I would take you on our first official mission."

She then spotted a young child no older than seven years old walked into the guild. He was a slim, young boy with straight, dark purple hair and Lucy could faintly outline tears streaming down his face.

"Hey, who is that younger child?"

"That is Romeo, the son of my drinking buddy Macao. He is a sweet little kid, but he is worried about his father who went on a mission to Mount Hakobe a few days ago to slay some Vulcans," Cana explained.

"How come my dad haven't come back yet," Romeo asked Makarov who was drinking a beer.

" You're starting to work my nerve, Romeo. You are a wizard son so have some faith in your father and wait patiently for him."

"But sir, he told me that he would be back in three days, and he has been gone for over a week now," Romeo told him.

"If, I remember correctly now, he took the job on Mount Hakobe."

"That's right and it is not that far from here. So why haven't you sent anyone to go look for him," Romeo shouted back at him.

"Listen kid, your old man is a wizard, so like any of the wizards in this guild; he can go and take care of himself. So, go home, have some milk and cookie and wait for him."

"You're such a jerk," and Romeo punched the master of the guild watching as he fell over. He then ran away screaming that he hated everyone in the guild.

"That got to be tough," Lucy muttered, wondering how that kid must be feeling. A part of her could relate to Romeo as she herself spent days waiting for her father to return back from one of his business meeting when she was a young girl.

"I know it sounds like the master doesn't care. But he really is worried," Levy told her.

Lucy, Levy and Cana all watched as Natsu punched the job board causing Nab, one of her guild mates to be shocked saying that he almost broke the board. They watched as Natsu and Happy began walking out of the guild to which Lucy assumed he was going to try helping the young child.

"This doesn't look good Master. You know how he can be, I bet he is going to go to Mount Hakobe to go save Macao," Nab stated.

"When is that kid ever going to grow up," one of the older member of the guild said.

"Who knows, going after Macao isn't going to do anything but damage his pride," Nab stated.

"Remember Nab, we can't choose another's path. Just leave him be," the guild master Makarov declared.

"Why did Natsu get so upset," Lucy asked her friends. Even though she knew all about Natsu past with Igneel who was a dragon that taught him magic, language and culture. She heard how he abandoned him as a child, yet she still wanted to understand his reason for being mad.

"Probably because he and Romeo have a lot in common. I think, he sees himself in Romeo. Just because we are members of Fairy Tail, it doesn't mean that we don't have our own personal issues, we all had our fair share of suffering and loses," Mirajane who was working on cleaning some of the dishes told her.

"We should go help Natsu rescue Macao," Lucy proposed, hoping that one of her friends would be willing to go with her.

"I'll go with Lucy, after all we have a son that wants to reunite with his father and I have a drinking buddy to save," Cana said as the two girls began preparing for their rescue mission.

 **Meanwhile**

Natsu and Happy finally spotted the young Romeo walking back towards his house. The young boy continued to try wiping his tears away as he felt a hand on top of his head. He looked up to see Natsu who promised him that he would help bring back his father.

 **On the Carriage**

Lucy sat next to Cana as Natsu lied on the carriage about to barf. Throughout the whole carriage ride, Lucy spent most of her times catching up with Cana about her past year and they spent a little time talking about the mission.

"Why are you even here Lucy," Happy asked, questioning why some kind of new member would even care about a member that they never even met.

"I wanted to do something to help young Romeo. I can almost relate to him and I won't allow a family to be separated," Lucy addressed.

"I bet that she is only doing to improve her reputation of the guild," Happy thought to himself.

"So, did you get an apartment yet," Cana asked.

"Not yet, I still need to find a place to live once we find and save Macao," she answered.

"Well, if you want you could live with Natsu and me," Happy told her.

"If you're seriously saying that then I'm pulling out your whiskers, little kitty. I'm not just going to move in with a boy and his cat, even if I knew him for a while. I very much would like my own apartment, in which I could relax in."

"So, what was the mission that Macao choose," Lucy asked. She knew that it had something to deal with Mount Hakobe and defeating vulcans, but she wanted some answers.

"Macao chose a mission that requested that he defeat twenty vulcans that were overrunning the area," Cana explained.

"Any more questions," Happy asked hoping to pass the time.

"How is the weather of Mount Hakobe" Even though Lucy loved to travel around and often collected souvenirs and brochures explaining the place, she barely heard anything about the mountain.

"The usual weather at Mount Hakobe is cold and snowing, so hopefully you brought some kind of heavy coat or you'll be frozen like an icicle," Cana told her. Lucy just took the palm of her hand and slammed it into her head, in embarrassment. She was going to freeze to death and that was all because of her lack of research.

"This is as far as I can take you," the driver told them as Natsu got up relieved that it was finally over.

"I guess we finally made it here," Cana announced as Natsu began jumping up and down. The four fairy tail wizards all got out of the carriage ad Lucy began shivering.

"Even though it's up in the mountains, it's summer time! It's weird that Mount Hakobe has a snowstorm occurring at this time of year. Why is it so cold!"

"Probably because you are wearing light clothing," Natsu told her. She knew that with Natsu fire magic he could make the area around him cool which would explain why he was not freezing to death.

Cana took one of her magic cards and grabbed the one which had a huge winter coat on it. Cana pressed the card over her head and a huge blue winter coat appeared and quickly put it on. She then took another card which looked like it had winter boots on it and a few second passed before Cana had boots on.

"Cana, do you perhaps have another card that has a coat in it," Lucy asked as she began walking with them.

"I'm sorry, but I only have one of these," Cana explained casing Lucy to almost want to cry about freezing to death. Lucy was trying to decide which spirit would be most helpful in surviving this weather.

"Natsu can I please have your blanket," she asked who just replied with a simple no. She was freezing to death and with Cana's help, he gave her the blanket in which she put over her.

As much as she wanted to use Fornax, his contract actually made it impossible for her to use him today, since it was one of the three days he requested off. She then thought about using Horologium in which she could hide from the cold and today was one of those days in which she could summon him.

She took his silver key from her belt and chanted, "Open, gate of the clock constellation, Horologium!" Tiny clock pieces began to come together before Horologium formed from those pieces. He was a tall brown grandfather clock with long, black arms, a glass case, a Roman-numerical clock at the center and a small face at the top with slit eyes and a thin, twirly, mustache-like mouth.

"That is so cool!"

"A clock," Natsu exclaimed, never seeing Horologium at all.

"What are you even doing Lucy," Happy asked as the girl got inside the clock hiding from the clock as he began walking for her.

"She says to you three, I'm staying in here so that I don't I freeze to death," Horologium stated.

"Macao! where are you?" Natsu and Happy both screamed at the top of their lungs. Natsu began hearing something coming from the top of the mountain and in a few seconds, a vulcan jumped down to attack them. Cana and Happy tried to move but got hit it by its attack. Natsu however judged the attack and twisted his leg and tried to kick the vulcan who dodged the attack. The vulcan then took its arm and tried to smash Natsu who got hit and fell to the ground.

The three watched as the vulcan ran towards Lucy who was watching the fight. She was trying to remember something that she read about a vulcan, but her mind wouldn't put the pieces together.

"That vulcan is going after Lucy," Cana deduced. She took one of her cards and threw it towards the vulcan who was able to jump out of the way.

They all watched as the vulcan reached Horologium and picked the spirit which had Lucy in it. "Me like this woman," it said as it sounded like a gorilla.

"Don't just stand there, hurry up and save me, she yells furiously."

"So, that Vulcan can talk huh," Natsu muttered as he realized that the vulcan might have the answer to where Macao went.

A few minutes passed as Lucy continued to scream for help until the vulcan got to the summit and danced crazily around her.

To say that she was fine, would be a lie right now. In all of her adventures, she has never encountered a mountain vulcan so meeting one that was interested in making her its mate was terrifying her right now.

She didn't understand why but she was somewhat scared of fighting that vulcan, which confused her since she fought various beasts before. Something was unsettling her since she knew something about a vulcan special ability, but she still couldn't remember it.

"How did I get myself into this mess. And what is with this giant monkey? Why is he so excited? she asked dreadfully," Horologium announced out loud.

She knew that Horologium was going to fade back into the spirit world in the next few minutes which meant that she needed to think of something and quick. As much as she wanted to hide away from that vulcan, she needed to buy her friends some time until they appear.

Despite being strong, she was by no mean, physically strong enough to go against a Vulcan which meant that she needed to use her magic. The only spirit that she though could even potential hold off that vulcan was Ursa Major but even that might not be enough to beat it.

"Woman," the vulcan said as it stared at her before Horologium faded back into the celestial spirit world, resulting in Lucy staring at the vulcan.

As much as she wanted to be scared and just hide from this beast. She was now an official member of a guild which meant that she couldn't run away from monster but instead fight them.

She took one of her silver keys out," Open Gate of the Big Bear, I summon thee Ursa Major," Pointing the key before her, a silver magic circle appeared, and a chiming noise was heard.

Ursa Major was in her bear form and was now a humongous grizzly bear with sharp claws and an angry scowl on her face.

 _"My child, what can I do for you today?"_

"I was wondering Mama Ursa if you would be able to hold back that vulcan until my friends appear," Lucy asked.

 _"I can do that for you, my child but please be safe," the bear expressed._

Lucy watch as Mama Ursa began to run towards the vulcan who was to busy ogling at Lucy. Mama Ursa noticed this and was furious with the creature and took her right claw and brought it down to slash at the vulcan.

The vulcan noticed that attack and jumped backward to avoid the attack and began to stick it tongue at the bear for missing him.

"Mama Ursa, stay on the defensive for the time being. I want to see what this vulcan can do," Lucy asked her spirit, as she took her whip out. Her spirit nodded and Lucy swung her whip at the vulcan which dodged the attack.

" _The vulcan is fast but we need to stop it," Ursa Major told Lucy. The bear began to block all of the vulcan attacks._

"I'll do my best to provide you an opening," Lucy told the bear who nodded in compliance. Lucy swung her whip toward the vulcan which dodged. Ursa Major found her opening and began attacking it causing it to growl in pain.

"Hey, you big ape, tell me where Macao is," Natsu yelled as he ran toward them. He then slipped on the ice.

"That wasn't cool at all. Why does he feel like he need to make an entrance all the time?" Lucy questioned herself.

"Spill it monkey, where is my friend? You understand me, right? He is a human man. So, tell me where he is," Natsu asked the vulcan.

Lucy realized that throughout Natsu little conversation with the vulcan that he was jumping quickly to a conclusion, that the vulcan suddenly would know where his friend Macao was.

" _Is it possible that the vulcan perhaps have killed Macao," Lucy thought to herself. After all if the vulcan did live here, shouldn't she have seen Macao by now._

The vulcan decided to act like he knew and began to point Natsu toward one of the holes. Natsu continued to scream for Macao and the vulcan, kicked him out of the hole when he wasn't looking. Lucy had a feeling that Happy would somehow conveniently save him, but now she needed to take this crazy vulcan down.

"Don't like men, me like woman," the vulcan continued to repeat various times getting to the point of annoying Lucy.

"Lucy are you okay?" She turned her head to the right to see Cana getting ready to throw a few of her cards at the vulcan.

"I'm fine, but we need to defeat this vulcan and quickly," Lucy told her friend as she walked over to Cana.

"I have just the card to distract this perverted monkey," Cana told her as she threw a card at the vulcan. The minute it got close to the vulcan, the card activated its magic and a few women in bikini came out embracing the vulcan.

Lucy swung her whip toward the vulcan which caught his arm. Ursa Major found her opening and began to slash at the vulcan who got hit on the arm.

"Now Cana here is your chance," Lucy said as she and Ursa kept attacking the vulcan.

Cana pulled out three cards, "Wind. Edge. Try this on for size wind edge." The cards all combined together to create a long force of wind sending the vulcan to the wall.

"We did it Cana," Lucy said as they stared at the fallen vulcan and that was when Lucy finally began to recall the ability of the vulcan.

" _Vulcans have the ability to take over a fallen opponent. Then that means, that we might have been fighting this entire time without even knowing it," Lucy realized but decided to restrain herself from telling her friend._

Lucy and Cana both watched as the vulcan began to get back up. While the vulcan was getting back up, they saw Natsu and Happy flying back in.

"I see your safe Natsu," Cana told Natsu as he stood by them.

"My woman," the vulcan said as it jumped towards Natsu, ready to crush them once again.

"Natsu look out," Lucy told him.

He then took his arm and blocked the attack. "Now you listen up! I consider everyone in the Fairy Tail guild to be my friends." The vulcan then went to kick him, but Natsu countered it before kicking the vulcan back a few feet.

"Whether it is gramps or Mirajane, or even those annoying jerks Elfman and Gray. Happy, Lucy and Cana too, they are all my friends. Which is why, I am not going to leave without Macao," Natsu declared as he unleashed a kick infused with flames.

"Natsu," the vulcan spoke out with what sound like a weak voice of a defeated Macao.

"Macao, where are you?"

"I'm inside this damn Vulcan. It took me over during our fight, but I was able to hear your voice for just a second and take control of myself for just a second. I need all of you to defeat this vulcan, so I can take complete control and break free."

"You heard the man, lets free Macao and show this vulcan the true power of the Fairy Tail guild," Cana announced.

"I'll start us off," Lucy took her whip and catch the vulcan with it before pulling her body back and sending the vulcan flying towards them.

Cana pulled out three cards, "Lightning. Reverse Tower. Lovers. Try this on for size thunderbolt's fate." The cards all combined together to create a huge bolt of lightning that blasted the vulcan.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist," Natsu body began to radiate heat and his fist began to be consumed in flames before he went and punch the vulcan, sending it to the cavern wall.

"Thank you," Macao muttered before he transformed back into himself, but as a result of all the weight that the vulcan placed on the cavern wall caused it to collapse.

Macao began to plunge down off of the cliff and Natsu leapt to grab his hand while Happy grabbed Natsu foot and tried to pull him. Cana grabbed Happy and tried to pull them up and Lucy got Cana and they all began pulling. It wasn't until Ursa Major grabbed Lucy that they were able to get everyone to safety.

They eventually set Macao on the blanket while they examined him. Lucy looked and saw that Macao was bleeding near the stomach and the upper right shoulder. They had Macao unconscious at the moment due to a sleep card that Cana used.

"The wound is serious, it seems that Macao fought severely before being taken over," Cana stated as they looked over at the first aid kit that they had.

"The wound on his side is too deep. We can't do anything with the first aid kit that we have," Lucy explained.

She watched in shock as Natsu hand began turning into flames. "This is all we can do now. I'm sorry Macao but you are going to have to live with it. Cana hold down Macao!" Cana did as Natsu said as he began to castrate the wound.

" _I see… He's trying to close the wound by burning it. This will stop the blood from flowing out," Lucy thought to herself._

"Don't die on us Macao! Romeo is waiting for you," Natsu screamed as he continued to burn the wound on his side.

Lucy quickly snapped out of her thoughts and began helping them with the wound near his shoulder. After both wounds were castrated, they began wrapping him in bandages and waited till he woke up.

 **Later**

They eventually began walking back to where Romeo was. Throughout the entire trip back, Macao told them his mission and complained that he was too weak that he wasn't able to take down the twentieth vulcan. Lucy was beyond impressed how strong Macao was, since it took the combined force of the three of them to take down Macao.

Romeo hated himself at the moment, all he could think about was how it was all his fault that his father even went missing. He began thinking back on the reason he harassed his father into taking that quest.

 **Flashback**

"What so great about Fairy Tail mages anyway," one of the kids that teased him said.

"Fairy Tail wizards are a joke Romeo," another one said.

"Everybody knows that Fairy Tail wizards are a bunch of drunk cowards," the third one said.

"I'm going to be a knight when I grow up, not some dumb wizard," the kid that began the teasing said.

"They're dirty and they smell of booze."

That was when Romeo went over to his dad and begged him to take a dangerous mission.

"Please Dad, go on the board and take a difficult job. I can't handle all of this teasing anymore."  
"Sure," his father told him as he smiled at him and took the job that included slaying at least 20 vulcans.

 **Flashback Ended**

"Dad… I'm sorry," Romeo muttered to himself.

"Hey Romeo," he heard Natsu yelled as he saw Natsu helping his dad walk. Near Natsu was Happy, Cana and the new girl that joined the guild today.

"Dad… Daddy you're back," Romeo said as he ran up and gave his father a hug.

"I'm sorry that I made you worry," Macao apologized as Romeo began crying.

"I can handle it because I'm a wizard son."  
"Next time those bullies pick on you. Here is what I want you to say, can your old man defeat 19 monsters all by himself…. Because mine can."

They all began to leave as Romeo screamed to them. "Natsu, Happy, and Cana thanks for all of the help. Lucy thanks for helping them bring my daddy back to me!"

" _July 4_ _th_ _, it was a sunny day followed by a blizzard, but it ended up sunny again. I'll admit that the people of the fairy tail guild are crazy, but they are also nice and kind. I know I'm a newcomer, but I already love this guild," Lucy thought to herself._

* * *

 **Next chapter will show an amazing team up that we never really got in the Manga or Anime. The story will also begin to foreshadow a few of the main threats in the next few chapters.**


	4. Chapter 4

Back again, bringing you the first part of the Daybreak arc. A few changes have occurred but please read on, and please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Lucy walked into the guild hall with a sense of purpose. She wasn't sure what it had in store for her today, but she was resolute in making it count. She had just returned from successfully renting a comfy apartment not too far from her new base of operations, after having spent her first night in Magnolia in a cheap motel. She was elated to have found something so nice at a rather convenient price tag, but at the moment, she felt her biggest victory was in having secured her living conditions so early in the day. It wasn't yet noon, so she had plenty of time to better acquaint herself with some of her guildmates, and maybe even pick her first official job.

As she made her way inside, she spotted a shirtless Gray walk by Loke and his two lady friends. One of them was drawn in by his aloof stride, but Loke whispered something to regain her attention, causing both girls to giggle and snuggle closer to him.

Lucy rolled her eyes at the scene, then caught sight of Cana at the bar. A frothy mug of beer in one hand, the brunette waved her over with the other. She downed her drink just as Lucy took a seat on the stool next to her. "Hey, Cana," she greeted warmly, which was reciprocated. Motioning with her head over to Loke and his company, she asked, "Are those two girls members of the guild?"

"Nope. Just the lucky Loke fangirls of the week," she smirked, catching a refill that slid across the bar without even having seen it coming. "Us Fairy Tail girls have an understanding when it comes to Loke: turn him down no matter what he says or does. As I'm sure you'll learn for yourself, he's persistent. He won't go away without putting up a fight, and believe me, some of us have gladly obliged him."

Lucy nodded along with a grateful smile. While she had no intentions of affiliating with Loke in a romantic sense, she was happy to have learned something about the sisterhood in the guild. "And, what's the deal with Gray?" she asked. As if following a script, the ice mage slipped out of his dark jeans as she presented her question, leaving him in just his boxers as he took a seat at a table.

The Card Wizard laughed at Lucy's wide-eyed reaction. "The skivvies usually stay on, so you can relax - unless you were hoping for more of a show." The new girl shook her head, her faced flushed, getting Cana to grin even wider.

"Anyway, he doesn't strip because he's vain or a perv," she began. "It's just an unconscious habit that's ingrained into his core. And before you ask where he could've possibly picked up a habit like that, I'm the only one here who knows that story, and I'm not allowed to share."

"You guys must be pretty close," Lucy concluded. Cana's voice softened a bit when she mentioned knowing Gray's past, the tell-tale indicator.

"Don't get the wrong idea," she replied, playfully stern. "I was a part of Fairy Tail years before the other younger guys joined. Gray was the first kid my age to come along, and we became fast friends." She paused to take a sip of her new drink, savoring it before Mirajane jumped in the conversation.

"So, I heard about what happened with Macao yesterday. I'll admit, I didn't take you for a total badass when I first saw you, but hey, who doesn't love a pleasant surprise?"

Lucy looked at her, confused. Her, a badass? When did that happen? "What exactly did you hear?"

"That you summoned a giant bear monster that was beating the daylights out of the Vulcan. You had him right where you wanted him, but Natsu just had to play hero and steal your thunder."

"And who'd you hear this from?"

"Happy."

"He wasn't even there for that part!" Lucy cried before adjusting her volume. "Yeah, I had one of my Celestial Spirits face off against the Vulcan, but we just held him to a standstill, really. It was nothing to merit being called a badass."

Mirajane shrugged. "Give yourself some credit. You were a member for what, twenty minutes before you decided to join a rescue party at Mt. Hakobe and take on a Vulcan? Most people give themselves a couple days before looking for their first paying job, but you were up and out for free moments after getting your guild stamp."

Lucy couldn't help but blush at the praise. While she still felt undeserving of that particular reputation, Mirajane did bring up valid points that she could take pride in. "Thanks," she smiled.

"Hey Lucy!" a squeaky voice called from above her. The two girls looked up, finding Happy as he slowly lowered himself onto the bar counter. "Natsu is over there looking for a job," he said with a grin, gesturing to the request board with his paw. True to his word, the Dragon Slayer was musing over the postings, meticulously going through the ample selection. "Wanna come with us?"

"I'm sorry Happy but I already made a promise with Levy to go on a mission with her. After all celestial mages always keep their promises so can I go on a mission with you guys another day," Lucy asked.

"Oh, that's okay," Happy told her as he walked over to Natsu who walked over towards them.

"Hey, do any of you know where Levy even is at the moment?"

"Most likely Droy is having them help in watering all of his flowers in his garden. I can't count how many times they come to the guild a little later than usual because they decided to spend some time helping each other with their everyday task," Mira explained to her.

"I guess, I will just have to wait for them. Alright, have any of you heard of Celestial Spirits?" Lucy began.

Natsu and Mirajane shook their heads, but Happy nodded. "Aye, I have! Celestial Spirits are beings from another world that human magicians can contract to summon for various services, right?"

"Yes," Lucy confirmed, surprised at the cat's knowledge. "They're also known as the Stellar Spirits because they're based off constellations from the Stella. In fact, that's where the Spirits come from," Lucy thought back to the lessons of her magic tutor and began summarizing the history for her audience, who was unlikely to care much for the distant past.

"Long ago, the Celestial Spirits were created as a tool for the exclusive use of the elite in Stella society. However, after a destructive civil war, motivated in part by this selfish use of magic, the Celestial Spirits negotiated with the Magic Council for new terms and used spatial magic to create keys," she looked at Mirajane, whose face showed the dawn of understanding; "Celestial Spirits can't survive in our world for too long under their own power. That's one of the many reasons they still serve humanity. These days, any human can make a contract with them, so long as you fit the requirements."

"What kinds of requirements do you all must go through," Mirajane asked.

Lucy held up one finger. "First, you need the right material focus," she reached into her key pouch with her other hand and brought out two keys of different colors for the trio to see. "Keys, made of either silver or gold, forged into particular shapes. Which metal you use depends on which Spirits you're trying to contract; gold is for the Zodiac, twelve particularly powerful Spirits, while silver is used for all the rest. There are a few other kinds of keys, but I have yet to meet a spirit of those keys. The Celestial Spirit King, ruler and mightiest of the Celestial Spirits, has no key and can't be contracted." Lucy placed the keys back in the pouch. "Since both metals are very valuable, contracting the Celestial Spirits is quite the investment. The cost is actually the biggest reason this is such an uncommon magic."

"Okay, so what is the next requirement," Natsu asked.

Lucy held up another finger. "Next, you need an advanced understanding of astronomy."

Happy interrupted with a question. "What's astronomy?"

As Lucy was about to answer, Natsu spoke. "Oh! I know that one. That's the study of space stuff, right?" His expression held such earnest eagerness that she couldn't go through with correcting him.

"Yep," Lucy nodded, which brought a smile to Natsu's face that warmed Lucy's heart, "that's basically astronomy: stars, planets and other space stuff. If I were to describe the ritual that turns an ordinary key into a summoning focus, it might sound straight-forward, but it actually calls for a deep comprehension of this science from the magician. Since I chose this magic, one of my first tests was learning enough to make my first contract; it took most of a month before I was confident in my astrometry – that's still astronomy, but it's about precise measurements – to try and summon a Spirit." Of course, part of why she'd struggled for so long was because that had been a turbulent time in her life, but she wasn't going to talk about that to three strangers, regardless of how friendly they were.

"That was about seven years ago, and I still haven't managed to make contracts with the entire Zodiac."

"Lucy how many celestial spirits do you have contract with," Mirajane asked her as she went to give Happy a piece of fish.

"So far, I have 7 silver gate keys and 1 golden key. I have Lyra, the harp and she can sing some of the greatest songs then I also have Crux the southern cross and he can tell you almost anything. I then have Horologium the clock and he can save you from anything in the nick of time along with that I have Fornax the Furnace and he is wonderful at fixing any broken weapons as well as make some nice fire. Along with those four, I have Ursa, the Big Bear which has incredible strength and I have Musca, the bug which is great for infiltrations. Finally, I have Crater, the cup which has all sorts of potions that can either help you or hurt opponents. My strongest spirit is Aquarius, the water bearer and she control water."

"It sounds like you have some strong spirits, I hope to one day see some of them in combat. After all I would love to assess your magical abilities," Mirajane announced.

"Alright, so it takes special metals and knowhow," Natsu said, nodding. "What's the third requirement?"

Lucy held up a third finger. "It's commitment." Upon seeing their perplexed expressions, she elaborated.

"When the Spirits were tools, they could be used for all sorts of malicious or unscrupulous purposes. After that civil war in Stella, accounts surfaced about the various atrocities committed by them at the command of their masters. The negotiations between the Spirits and the Council involved special focus on exactly what the Spirits could or could not do as part of their contracts. Once they passed into the service of all humanity, non-negotiable rules were set up. Illegal tasks were completely off the table; to give one example, Celestial Spirits aren't allowed to kill sentient creatures and, if they did so without a reason that satisfies the Celestial Court, then a Spirit can be executed, or their mage's contracts ended. The Spirits can also choose to disobey orders that they consider immoral."

"That's actually kind of interesting and now I just want to watch a contract be formed," Mirajane asked excited.

"Now that I think about it, I still haven't made a contract with the two keys I bought at Hargeon's. Since you're here and all, I'll show the process a Celestial wizard goes through to make a contract with a Celestial Spirit."

"Sure, I don't have anywhere to go later," Cana stated.

"It sounds interesting and I've always wondered how a celestial wizard make a contract with their spirits," Mirajane said.

"I wonder if she has to sign a blood pact?" Happy whispered to Natsu.

"Sounds painful... for your butt." Natsu whispered back.

"Why are you talking about my butt?" Lucy asked herself before speaking louder. "And you know I can hear you." She picked up the Canis Minor's key and walked to the middle of the room. "Whatever just watch."

She raised her arm with the key in her hand. "Okay so you have to say this. I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits! Now! Spirit answer my call and pass through the Gate!" A silver magic circle appeared beneath her. "Open, Gate of Canis Minor! Nikola!"

Another silver magic circle appeared in front of her and golden lights appeared. They seemed to dance before becoming a golden ball and disappear, revealing a little snowman with a nose like a carrot. His whole body was shaking.

"He's so cute!" Lucy and Mirajane clamored. Lucy took him into her arms and hugged him tightly, as Mirajane held her hands together in anticipation for her turn. Cana agreed with the sentiment but didn't express it like a schoolgirl, instead admiring the creature with a smile from afar. Natsu and Happy, however, weren't necessarily as impressed.

"Yeah, he's a pretty cute dog and all, but can he fight?" the fire mage pondered.

"There's always next time." Natsu and Happy spoke at the same time disappointed by what they had seen.

"I didn't screw up!" Lucy yelled at them before hugging the little spirit that wouldn't stop shaking.

"That's supposed to be a dog?" Cana asked with a raised eyebrow, but her skepticism went unnoticed.

"Spirits like this aren't used for fighting," Lucy explained as she set him in front of her. "Since they really don't take up much magic power to summon, most wizards simply keep them around as kind of like pets."

"Pets, huh?" Happy repeated with a frown, finding the idea unsavory.

"Now then," Lucy continued, pulling out a small notepad as she addressed her new friend. "Let's work out our contract together. Are you free Mondays?"

As she went through the list, asking the same question for every day of the week, the little white dog nodded or shook his head in response. Once they were finished, Lucy picked him up once again, snuggling her cheek against his, before passing him off so Mirajane could hold him too.

"It's that simple?" Cana asked, trying to keep from sounding envious as the white-haired girl across from her played with the spirits' paws, beaming down at him.

Lucy nodded. "I know it might not seem like a very big deal, but through the contracting process, we establish a deep connection. Celestial Spirits are conscious beings, just like us, so the promise between master and spirit is a sacred one. Now, what should I name him?"

"I thought you said his name was Nikola," Natsu said as he ate a yawn.

"That's his species as a whole," Lucy said as Mirajane set him on the floor, letting him wander back to the blonde.

"This little guy needs a name of his own. How about... Plue?"

"It's perfect," Mirajane said with a smile. Cana also gave an approving nod.

"Are you sure he liked it?" Natsu asked doubtfully.

"Of course, he does!"

"Plue is a "Lesser Dog" but he doesn't bark, does he?" Happy said wondering. "That's strange."

"It's not like you meow, either." Lucy replied. Plue stepped out of her arms and began to dance strangely.

"I wonder what it's trying to say?" Cana wondered as it continued to dance around.

"Plue, right on, man!" Natsu agreed showing him the okay sign with his hand.

"They communicated!" Lucy was stumped. Natsu approached her and looked at her carefully making her recoil in shock. She thought that she was the only person to be able to understand her spirits.

"Okay, Plue, I've got another spirit to make a contract with, but I'll be seeing you in a bit," Lucy said, giving him one last hug before sending him back to the Celestial World.

"Hey Lulu, we finally made it here," Levy announced as she walked over to the bar area. Two boys soon followed behind her.

"What are you doing," the orange haired male asked Lucy who was unhooking her other silver key from her key chain.

"I was just planning on forming another contract with a new key that I bought," Lucy explained.

Levy beamed with excitement of wanting to watch a contract being formed. Team Shadowgear soon agreed to go and watch her for another contract.

"I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits! Now! Spirit answer my call and pass through the Gate!" A silver magic circle appeared beneath her. "Open, Gate of the Compass! Pyxis!"

Another silver magic circle appeared in front of her and golden lights appeared. They seemed to dance before becoming a golden ball and disappear, leaving behind a bird with a compass on its head.

"He's adorable!" Lucy and Levy clamored. Lucy took him into her arms and hugged him tight. Cana, Droy and Mirajane agreed with the sentiment but didn't express it like a schoolgirl, instead admiring the creature with a smile from afar. Natsu, Jet and Happy, however, weren't necessarily as impressed.

"There's always next time." Natsu, Jet and Happy spoke at the same time disappointed by what they had seen.

"I didn't screw up!" Lucy yelled at them before hugging the little spirit that wouldn't stop shaking.

"That's supposed to be a compass?" Jet asked with a raised eyebrow, but her skepticism went unnoticed.

"Py-koo!" Pyxis however felt insulted and lowered its head in shame and Mirajane picked him up to comfort him.

"How dare you insult my cute little spirit! It is an adorable little bird that has a compass on its head. I wouldn't be shocked if it has some kind of navigational ability," Lucy answered.

"Now then," Lucy continued, pulling out a small notepad as she addressed her new friend. "Let's work out our contract together. Are you free Mondays?"

As she went through the list, asking the same question for every day of the week, the little bird nodded or shook his head in response. Once they were finished, Lucy picked him up once again, snuggling her cheek against his, before passing him off so Mirajane could hold him too.

"So, Lucy can you understand your spirits," Cana asked as the spirit began to say something in which Cana couldn't comprehend.

"Yeah, I can understand every single thing that one of my spirits says. The reason for that is due to my connections to the stars as well as the non—negotiated contract that is formed between mage and spirits. That contract essentially requires that a celestial spirit mage is allowed to understand anything that a spirit says. My question is how any of you can understand my spirits," Lucy asked.

Natsu, Mirajane and Happy all nodded, and Lucy just happened to speculate that the only reason they could understand was because Happy was a magical creature. Natsu was raised by a dragon so she wouldn't be shocked if he happened to possess some ability to understand other being. Mirajane she assumed was because of her ability as a takeover mage that she could understand the spirits.

"Well Pyxis, me and my friends have a mission to go on, so I got to get going. But I'll summon you if I ever need help," Lucy explained to her spirit as it faded to the spirit realm.

"That spirit seems friendly," Levy pointed out.

"We should probably go and pick out a mission," Jet announced

"I'm sorry to leave you like this, but I was looking forward to getting a job today. Can we talk more when we get back?"

"Of course," Cana said, raising her mug at the ready-and-willing blonde with a wink, "so long as you agree that the two of us should find some work together later. What do you say?"

"Definitely," Lucy agreed.

"We all decided that you should be the one to pick the job. After all, this will be your first official job, so you should pick the one that interest you," Levy informed her.

"Oh, thanks," Lucy said, lighting up at the kind gesture.

"Just be sure to pick something cool," Jet said, flashing her a toothy grin. "Like, a retrieval job that pays really well."

Lucy noted the way his head was inclined and his smile hinting, his eyes darting between her and a poster situated near the bottom left of the board. Stepping forward to get a better view, she read the job's brief description. Their client wanted them to procure a book from a corrupt politician named Duke Everlue, who apparently was a dirty old man looking to hire a blonde maid.

The last part stuck out to her, and she understood why Jet not-so-subtly suggested it. She could already see what his grand plan was: she would distract Everlue in a maid costume while the others searched his mansion for the novel. She wasn't thrilled with the idea of playing decoy and being left alone with another pervert, not after yesterday's events, but before she could spite him and select another mission for them, she glanced at the reward.

"This one fit the bill?" she asked with a grin, untacking the piece of paper. 200,000 Jewel was being offered for successful retrieval of the book and split four ways between the team would net her 50,000. She could earn over two-thirds of her rent with this single job.

"Stealing a book doesn't sound all that exciting, but if that's the one you want..." Jet said, clasping his hands behind his head in a show of feigned apathy. His triumphant smirk indicated he truly felt otherwise.

"Now all we need to do is get Master Makarov to give us his permission to go on the mission," Droy informed Lucy.

The four of them all walked over to Master Makarov who was sitting down at the bar drinking some beer. They quickly got his permission and soon walked out of the guild.

* * *

Shortly thereafter, the train arrived at the quiet station in the little town of Shirotsume. The train ride, Lucy found was peaceful with the four of them just discussing what kind of magic that they could use and information about the mission. Jet reminded Lucy that the objection of the mission was to figure out a way to break into Duke's Everlue house and steal the book. Lucy mentioned to all of them that she could most likely use her celestial spirit Musca to sneak into the house to figure out where he was hiding the book. Levy informed them that she figured out a way to trick the Duke in case anything went wrong with their initial plan.

Do you mind if we stop to eat before meeting the client?" Droy asked them.

"You guys go on ahead," she said. "I'm not very hungry right now. I'll take a look around town while you guys eat, if that's alright with you."

"If you want, I can go along with you," Lisanna asked. "I'm not all that hungry myself, and I've only ever passed through Shirotsume Town on the way to another city. I'd like to get a bit more familiar with it, too."

"Sounds good," Lucy said with a smile. Time alone with Levy meant she could ask questions she wouldn't broach with the other two around.

"Alright then," Jet called from the restaurant's entrance, his big grin visible from the distance. "Be sure to meet us back here when you're done, so we can head to the client's house."

The girls continued down the main street with a casual stroll. When they came to the center of the town, a large water fountain surrounded by benches sat in the middle of the four intersecting ways. They opted to make use of the benches, the cool spray from the fountain helping stave off the summer heat. Lucy and Levy both read all the shops' signs within her vision range.

"I still can't believe that Jet real name is Sarusuke," Lucy exclaimed.

"I know it may seem a little strange at first, but the only reason he is called Jet is because it was a nickname that Natsu and I came up with," Levy explained.

"So I picked out a great apartment this morning," Lucy said excitedly. "It's not all that big, but I really do like it. You should come over and see it some time."

"An apartment?" Levy asked, confused. "You're not gonna be staying at Fairy Hills?"

"What's that?" The place rung a bell - she'd likely read about it in Sorcerer Weekly at some point - but couldn't remember what it was supposed to be.

"It's the dormitory where most of the girls in the guild live. Mira and I live there and Cana as well."

Levy went on to explain more of the intricacies of Fairy Hills, each new detail making Lucy wish for a time travel machine to take her back to that morning. "Man, I wish I'd known about this place before I signed my lease - I'm locked in for the next six months."

"If you explained to your landlord, I'm sure they'd let you out of it early," Levy suggested. "The people of Magnolia love Fairy Tail; they're usually very supportive when we ask something of them."

Lucy shook her head with a slight smile. "I'll ride it out. As a Celestial Wizard, my word is my bond. Promises and contracts are very important to me, so I always do my best to follow through on them. Fairy Hills sounds like an amazing place, but for now, my apartment is my home."

"Now Levy, can you tell me what happened to Lisanna? Everyone makes it sounds like she dead but I want to know," Lucy asked. Lisanna was an old friend and rival of hers that used to spar with her together to help her get stronger.

"I'm not allowed to disclose any information about Lisanna to you. I recommend that if you want to find out anything, then try to go and talk to Mirajane or Elfman."

Levy took out a book and began to read it as Lucy thought back about the mission. She knew Duke Everlue personally after her father introduced her to him during a business meeting. She knew for an instant that the maid getup wouldn't work at all since he had an interesting way of defining beauty to say the very least, but she would do the maid getup if it meant that she could build trust with Team Shadowgear. She could tell that Droy was someone that she could easily trust with his peaceful but adorable personality. But Jet, reminded Lucy a little of Natsu with a bit of being full of himself and she hoped that they could be friends.

"Lucy what is the matter," Levy asked, noticing that her friend seemed a little tense at the moment.

"Levy, there is something that you need to know about the mission," Lucy mentioned. She soon began to explain to Levy everything that she knew about Duke Everlue concerning the mission. The more she mentioned things about Everlue, the more Lucy began to question the reasons of this mission. She knew that Everlue was a crooked man who more than likely did something but what was the importance of stealing a book from him.

* * *

"I wonder what's taking the girls so long," Jet said, nibbling on a mackerel.

"Wonder no more, boys," a sugary-sweet voice was heard approaching.

Looking up from their plates, Jet's and Droy's eyes widened, and if their mouths hadn't been in the middle of the savoring process, their jaws would've dropped at the sight before them. Lucy and Levy were dressed in maid outfits, similar but distinctly differing. Lucy's featured full sleeves that puffed at the shoulders, while Levy's loose sleeves weren't connected to the body of her dress; rather, they began just above her elbows, leaving her upper arms exposed.

"What do you think?" Lucy continued to use her best obedient tone, striking a cute pose as she twirled the ends of her double pigtails and winked. "Would you hire us, Master Droy and Master Jet?"

"You two look beautiful," Jet and Droy both said while blushing at the two girls. Lucy took it as a compliment and was using it as a way to boost her ego.

"Wait, why are you wearing maid costume," Droy asked, not at all remembering why the two girls would be dressing up.

"Droy didn't you remember that we mention this on the train?"

"Oh, I'm sorry but I wasn't really paying a lot of attention to the conversation concerning the mission. I was too busy thinking about my plants that we were watering this morning."

"Droy didn't I tell you that you need to start paying more attention to what we talk about and less about your plants.

"I know you did Jet, but my plants are my pride and joy. Hey, Lucy how about I show you my garden once this mission is done," Droy asked.

"I would love that," Lucy smiled.

"The reason Droy that we are dressed up is because we are going to try and have Duke Everlue's hire us as some of his maid. Once he hires us, we are going to infiltrate his mansion and retrieve that book. Lucy and I want to read the book, before we burn it," Levy informed.

"But how are you supposed to pass off as a blonde?" Droy asked Levy still confused how she was going to figure out a way to have her hair blonde.

"Oh that simple, a few days ago when Max and Warren were in town. They informed me that they figured out a new revolutionized way to use the Colors product. It turns out that you can actually use the Colors magic as a way similar to color dye," Levy informed. Lucy was quite amazed that Fairy Tail had impressive mages that were intelligent enough to figure out a new way to use some of the magic products.

"Hurry up and finish eating you two so we can go meet the client!" Levy asked the two boys. After paying the restaurant owners a small fortune, Jet directed them towards the client's house.

* * *

They left the center of the town for the affluent outskirts it was located in, passing by several mansions before they came to the right address. They rung the bell at the outer gate, and shortly after, a middle-aged man in a suit came out of the house.

"You must be the Fairy Tail wizards who accepted my job," he said as he unlocked the gate. "Please, follow me."

The client lead them into his mansion, the four mesmerized by the grand spacing and wealthy decor. When they came into the living room, he took his place on a loveseat beside a woman with a warm smile, his wife, and offered the extended couch opposite them for the four mages to occupy.

"I am Kaby Melon," he introduced himself kindly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

They left the center of the town for the affluent outskirts it was located in, passing by several mansions before they came to the right address. They rung the bell at the outer gate, and shortly after, a middle-aged man in a suit came out of the house.

"You must be the Fairy Tail wizards who accepted my job," he said as he unlocked the gate. "Please, follow me."

The client lead them into his mansion, the four mesmerized by the grand spacing and wealthy decor. When they came into the living room, he took his place on a loveseat beside a woman with a warm smile, his wife, and offered the extended couch opposite them for the four mages to occupy.

"I am Kaby Melon," he introduced himself kindly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Now then, the job that I've brought you here for is quite simply stated: Shirotsume Town's Mayor, Duke Everlue, owns a book entitled _Daybreak._ All I ask of you is that you find it, and destroy it," Kaby explained.

Can we ask why you need this book destroyed?" Lucy inquired. In case it wasn't proper to ask a client's motivations when they hadn't already been made known, she asked with utmost politeness, especially when she felt it was justifiable to sound disapproving. To her, there were few good reasons to dispose of a novel in the way he was asking them to. "200,000 Jewel is a lot to pay for something so straightforward."

"Actually, I've increased the reward to 2 million Jewel," Kaby deflected in correction.

"2 million?!" they repeated, floored by number. Lucy thought up a mental list of lavish ways she could spend her share while Jet was thinking about a way for him to be a movie star. Levy was the first to break free of the money's allure, returning to her senses after visions of opening up her very own library. Droy was the one that kept on thinking of opening up his own botanical garden with that amount of money.

"How come you've raised the reward by so much?"

Kaby sighed, turning his head in shame. "Because, this mission has proven to be much more treacherous than I originally believed. The first team of wizards that accepted the job... they were killed in their attempt to break into Everlue's residence." He let the information sink in, the euphoria disappearing from their visages instantly. "I assured them it wasn't going to be a difficult job, so they must not have been expecting whatever resistance they were met with. Unfortunately, the two never made it back from the mansion, and even worse still, Everlue was able to cover up their deaths. He has this town's Knights Unit under his influence, paying them off to look the other way whenever he commits a crime."

"That's horrible," Lucy gasped. "He really went that far?"

"Yes he did, he murdered a young man and woman from the Dwarf Gear Guild. I recommend that you are also informed that there are rumors that Duke Everlue is a mage as well. I've heard people mention that he is a celestial wizard that owns one of the Zodiacs. So please be careful," Kaby's wife told them.

"I understand if you don't want to proceed with the mission," Kaby said, gripping his hands together. "It would mean the world to me to see _Daybreak_ burn, but I won't have the cost be your lives."

Droy, Jet, Levy, and Lucy all looked at one another. The hardened expressions among them collectively signified they weren't going to stand by and let that man get away without consequences. They were all in on taking this man down.

* * *

"Just like we rehearsed," Jet instructed as he and Jet took their places behind a wide tree trunk. "Remember, Levy, a little more energy. And Lucy, don't go over-the-top, okay?"

Jet and Droy flashed them a thumbs-up from their vantage point, the sign that they were in position in case Everlue tried anything funny.

"Excuse me!" Lucy called out cheerfully. "We heard that the honorable Duke Everlue was looking to hire a new maid! We've come to apply for the position!"

A moment passed without a response. The girls, who had used the Colors to hide their guild marks from giving them away as well as turn Levy hair blonde, turned to each other with confusion. Before they could try to get his attention again, they felt a strange rumbling underneath their feet. They jumped out of the way in time to avoid the large, rotund figure that burst through the ground, and landed with a crash before them.

"You've come looking to join the services of Master Everlue?" the scowling pink-haired woman in a maid's uniform asked of them, her deep voice lacking any sort of distinct feminine cues.

"That's right," Lucy answered, trying to remain steady under the shadow of the giant maid. "My friend and I have been looking for a job together, and when we saw his ad in the paper, we agreed we could share the pay if the Duke was kind enough to hire us both."

The ground began to shake once more, and a second shorter but just as round person sprang from beneath the cobblestone path. "An intriguing proposition you ladies have for me," the man, presumably Everlue, said, twiddling his handlebar mustache with an atrocious grin as he sized the mages up. "Now, let's see here..."

"We hope to fit your needs, Master Everlue," Levy said, forcing a smile as she and Lucy fought to keep from wilting under his eyes. The man's stare sent shivers down their spines, and was so disturbing she was positive Jet and Droy could spot it from behind their tree.

After rubbing his chin thoughtfully for what seemed like an eternity, at last Everlue turned away from them. They didn't expect he would give them his back in utter dismissal, however. "No, you just won't do at all. Now get off my property."

The girls were visibly shocked at the refusal. Not over the failure of their plan, but over wounded ego.

"A man of my standing can only be seen surrounded with the most beautiful servants in the land," he explained with a condescending grin as a row of four, aesthetically-deficient maids popped up from the ground behind him. "It would be an intolerable shame to be associated with such _ugly_ help."

It felt as if each word was a mountain of bricks falling onto them, as even the Duke's maids hurled insults at the girls. Completely disheartened, they sulked off as the laughs of Everlue and his help faded behind them, but retained their cruel power as they repeated in their heads.

"What happened?" Jet asked as they regrouped amidst the shrub, away from the mayor's eyes.

"That jerk called us ugly! Can you believe it?" Lucy raged as a despondent Levy leaned against a tree. "No one else in the world would think to turn down two beauties like us! He's totally warped!"

"He killed a team of wizards, covered up their deaths, and called us ugly!" Lucy listed. "What he's done is completely unforgivable! He's goin' down!"

"Which mean that it is now time for Option 2: Jet and Droy you two are up," Levy announced.

The three others cheered in unison. unaware of Everlue realizing that the girl was in fact the heiress.

"Looks like Lucy Heartfilia have decided to pay us a visit," he said, focusing on her. "And she is the heir of the Heartfilia fortune as well as a bearer of a Zodiac key. I want you to eliminate the other blonde girl. Do you think you can handle that?"

The pair of tall men behind him smirked in response. "It doesn't matter if it's a girl or not," the first one, the shorter, slimmer of the two, replied.

"They all vanish just the same," the second, the bigger, bulkier one, followed up.

Everlue let out a wicked cackle, filling the dark room with the screeching sound. Those fairies thought they could pull one over on him, and he was going to greatly enjoy their frightened looks of regret as they realized just how wrong they were to try to cross him.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Daybreak

 **Back again, bringing you the final part of the Daybreak arc. A few changes have occurred but please read on, and please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail**

* * *

They were currently all hiding behind the trees and shrubs in front of Everlue's mansion. Lucy and Levy just finished helping Jet and Droy look like reporters.

"Open Gate of the Fly Constellation, Musca," Lucy chanted as she watched as a silver magic circle appeared before Musca appeared.

Musca was a tiny little fly that was barely able to be spotted from the human eye. The little fly got on Lucy shoulder and the girl began to explain to the spirit the situation.

"Musca, I need you to go through that huge hole and scout around the house. We need to find the best route to the library in his mansion, so we can find the book Daybreak," Lucy asked. She then watched as Musca began to replicate into four more little fly just like it, before it flew off.

"Lucy are you sure that this is going to work," Jet asked as they were dressed up as if they were reporters.

"Everything will work out perfectly, all we need you two to do is act as reporters. Everlue should hopefully buy this story that you two are reporters that are interviewing him. While you two are interviewing him, Levy and I are going to sneak in and take the book," Lucy explained.

Lucy and Levy watched as the two boys walked over to the mansion and rung the doorbell. The two girls watched as Everlue and his gigantic pink haired maid appeared from the ground. They assumed that the boys were explaining to Everlue what they were doing there and to no surprise. Everlue invited the two boys into his house and Lucy smiled in glee.

"Told you that it would work," Lucy answered in confidence as they heard a BUZZING sound. They saw the four little Musca's flying towards them. Musca began to buzz something to which Lucy could understand as to what they were telling her.

"So, you're saying that in the mansion there are at six maids working around the house; that each possess magic energy. There are also two mages in the house, and can you please give the coordinates to Pyxis," Lucy translated. The spirit nodded its head and returned back to the celestial spirit realm.

"Are you ready to go in Lucy?"

"Yeah, lets take this greedy, uncultured pig down," she announced.

The two girls both got into the hole and began to go through it. Levy was the one in the front and she began to lead the two of them toward the inside of the house. They eventually arrived in a room that seemed to have a variety of antiques.

"Lucy, can you please summon the spirit that will lead us through this mansion," Levy asked as she looked around the house.

"Open, Gate of the Compass! Pyxis!" Another silver magic circle appeared in front of her and golden lights appeared. They seemed to dance before becoming a golden ball and disappear, leaving behind a bird with a compass on its head.

"Pykoo!"

"Hey Pyxis, have you gotten the coordinates from Musca," Lucy asked the happy spirit.

"Pykoo!" The spirit nodded its head in agreement.

"We need to make sure that no one can see us," Levy explained. She took her pen and wrote the word V-A-N-I-S-H which resulted in the two girls and spirit turning invisible.

"How in the world are we going to be able to see where we are going?" Lucy was incredibly impressed with Levy's ability to reinforce her magic onto another. It was a middle tier spell that was surprisingly extremely useful through the use of bending the light around them. Lucy assumed that Levy was taught how to perform that spell from the school that they went to through the Script magic course.

"I already got that covered. You see, this technique I spent weeks mastering it through the help of practicing my magic on objects and then the boys. I was able to come up with a way to see while being invisible through the word S-I-G-H-T. By using the word S-I-G-H-T, I can make sure that I can see anything in my area of vision. Now do you have a pair of glasses?"

Lucy was slightly confused to why Levy would need a pair of glasses. Did Levy perhaps figure out a way similar to enchantment magic to use on glasses. Lucy took out her gale-reading glasses and handed it to her.

Levy took her pen and began to write the words S-I-G-H-T onto the lens of Lucy's glasses. The words were marked onto the glasses and she took her own pair and did the same to it. Levy then took her glasses and put them on, before handing back Lucy's glasses.

Lucy put the glasses on which allowed her to see Pyxis and Levy clearly. She was extremely impressed with Levy's magic and how advanced her magic became.

"Pyxis show us the way to where the book 'Daybreak' would be. I assumed that it would be in a library sort of area," Lucy asked.

The compass needle began spinning rapidly before coming to a stop, both it and the spirit pointing out the doors and into the mansion in general. "Alright! Lead the way!"

The spirit nodded in reply before waddling off, the two Fairy Tail females following dutifully and with full confidence that he knew where to go. Carefully and quietly they began to wander the halls, heading downwards through the upper levels of the mansions main foyer. They had made it down to the second level when the floor began to bulge several feet ahead of them; the two girls both saw about four maids walking around. The maids looked to be almost armed with weapons as the two girls walked around.

"Do you hear creaking noises downstairs," a maid asked. The four maids all began walking downstairs where Lucy and Levy were.

"I am in not in the mood for fighting. Now, how about you be a good maid and get some sleep," Levy mentioned. Levy took out her pen and wrote the words S-L-E-E-P which floated towards the maids and struck them.

The two continued to follow the spirit, hoping that their friends were doing fine. The spirit leads them through the mansion and Lucy felt a powerful source of magic nearby.

"Pykoo!" The bird-shaped spirit stopped at a nearby door, pointing at it as if to say 'here we are!'

Levy was the first to open the door and pass into the small library beyond. Shelves lined the walls filled with hundreds, maybe even thousands of books. Levy was internally fangirling over the large amounts of books in the library. However, as they walked into the library, Levy's spells all ended. As a result of her magic energy being drained she had to end it, which now meant that they could now be seen as well as be heard.

"I never would've guessed Everlue was so into books," Lucy said, unable to help a small grin on her face as she gazed upon the rows of literature. The library she'd had at home was nothing to scoff at, but this selection was in a class of its own.

"Thank you, Pyxis, for leading us here! However, do you think you can give us a general place to start from before you go?"

The spirit was quick to agree with the Solid-Script mage; knowing that he would be helping Lucy out too. Also, he kind of liked the blue-haired girl; who had spoken to him as an equal unlike most of the human mages he had met. He quickly divined the correct shelf and pointed them over to the left wall, waving goodbye as he returned to the Celestial Realm after they had thanked him for his time. "Pii-Piku."

"Aww~ Pyxis was so cute! And he has such a useful ability! " Though she was scanning the book titles diligently, Levy's mind was elsewhere as she thought about her two friends who were interviewing the man.

Lucy was also scanning the shelves, not yet having found what they were looking for." They don't seem to be in any particular order," Lucy noted as she and Levy began sweeping through the shelves. There was no pattern as to how they were categorized, either by title or author's name. Not even by genre, they discovered as they read across the spines.

They continued looking until Levy announced that she found it. Indeed, Daybreak was printed across the top of the cover in bold capital letters, above a rectangular picture of the rising sun. "I'm going to begin reading it, to see if I can find anything on it," Levy explained as she began reading it.

While Levy was reading the book, Lucy sat down on the floor and contemplated to herself. She knew for a fact that Everlue was probably after them now since Levy knocked out his maids.

"So that's what you wizards were after this entire time!" a cackling voice was heard, underneath them, of all places. Duke Everlue drilled his way through the library floor, appearing with a sneer. "You came out all this way, just to steal a book that isn't even worth being compared to garbage?"

"What?" Levy asked, speaking up for her team's confusion. She had expected Everlue to be upset over the theft, but not to slam the book at the same time. It was only then she noticed who the author of the story was, spotting his name below the sun. "This was written by Kemu Zaleon? He was an amazing novelist! How could any of his works be called worse than garbage?"

"How did you even know we were even here," Lucy asked.

"Well, I must say that your idea was genius miss Heartfilia, having your friends act as reporters to interview me. Color me impress, it worked for a bit until you two slipped up. I saw on my recording lacrima the two of you both in my library and from there it all fell into place. I realized that you all were most likely from the same mission that those other idiots were on."

"What did you do to our friends," Levy asked as she continued reading.

"Get your grubby little hands off of my possession! No matter how pathetic an attempt at an epic it is, Daybreak belongs to me!" he snapped. A second later and the huge maid known as Virgo appeared with both Jet and Droy in her hands; squirming like worms.

"Let my friends go," Lucy screamed at him as he laughed at her.

"Fine but on one condition, you Lucy Heartfilia must return the book back to me and stay here as a hostage," Everlue declared.

"Don't do it Lucy," Jet yelled at her. She began thinking about the option of either saving her friends and giving herself up; or watching her friends get squeezed to death.

"I'm so tired of people interrupting my reading time. Now shut up and let my friends go so I can figure out this book secret," Levy screamed in annoyance. Levy took out her pen as she continued reading and wrote the words F-I-R-E. She focused her magical energy through her pen and constructed the words to fire off as a barrage at her. In seconds fire appeared from the words and began to strike Virgo in her arm resulting in her dropping the boys.

"A secret?" the rest of the room asked, the Duke included.

Everlue's eyes narrowed at the thought. Could the girl be bluffing? Or was there really something more to Daybreak than just the waste of paper he thought of it as? "Vanish Brothers!" he bellowed out. The bookshelves along the right wall jutted out and slid apart, revealing a dark passageway, occupied by two tall men with an air of danger around them. The larger of them scowled down at them from under a headband, while the smaller clutched a giant frying pan behind his back. In one quick movement, they went from the opening in the wall, to the side of their employer. "Retrieve that book! And hold nothing back!"

"That emblem... they're mercenaries from the Southern Wolves guild!" Lucy realized, catching the insignia on their sleeves. "They must be the ones that killed the other wizards for Everlue!"

Panic shook up Levy, but her resolve didn't waver. "Guys! If you could please buy me some time with this book, I think I can figure out what Kemu Zaleon was really trying to say!"

"Lucy and Levy, you two need to get out of here. Jet and I can take those two buffons down."

"Are you sure about this?" Levy asked as Lucy started for the side door. Jet and Droy didn't take their eyes off the enemies but nodded their head with a low chuckle in reply. She followed Lucy out of the library, having full confidence that they'd be able to take care of themselves against Everlue's assassins. They cut through the adjacent room and back into the main hall, pausing as there was no one around.

"How do you know there's a secret in the book?" Lucy asked, staying alert as she remained aware of the propensity of the mansion's inhabitants to appear from the ground.

"The author, Kemu Zaleon, was a wizard as talented at magic as he was at writing," Levy explained, holding the book close to her. "I thought I'd read all of his books, so this must be a one-of-a-kind, unpublished novel. But when I looked at the first-five chapters, the diction he used, the sentence structuring, it was basically semi-coherent word salad; nothing at all like his previous works. Kaby never did tell us why he wanted this book destroyed, but if he's willing to pay so much for it, I figured there must be a message somewhere in that jumbled mess that he doesn't want anyone to discover!"

"Can you figure it out?" Lucy asked.

"I just need another minute or two to finish reading this book," Levy explained. Lucy knew that with Levy's gale reading glasses, she was probably already almost done with it.

"Unfortunately, that's all the time you have left in this world!" a familiar high-pitched voice sounded out. Everlue popped out from the middle of the room, but he wasn't alone. His head maid, the giant with pink hair, was right behind him. The mayor pointed at the girls and Happy, grinning madly. "Now, Virgo! Take care of them and get me back my book! I have to know of its secret for myself!"

"Master!" the maid acknowledged in her booming tone, preparing to launch forward.

"Levy! I'll hold her off! Get to somewhere safe and decode that message!" Lucy commanded, moving in front of her friend.

"Open, Gate of the Cup. Crater!" Lucy chanted as she watched as a silver magic circle appeared before a spirit appeared. The spirit turned out to be a young looking butler who appeared to be holding in his hand a plate that looked like it had a potion set.

"Hello, Princess Lucy! How can I serve you?"

"Crater, I need your help in taking down those two," Lucy explained.

She took her whip and used it to wrap around Everlue's hand. She then pulled on it and watched as Everlue was thrown to the floor.

Crater then took a vial and threw it at Everlue and Virgo watching as the liquids from the vial turned into a cyclone sending the two flying back a little.

Levy slipped through the nearest foreign door, just as Lucy began to fire off an attack. It was a dark, cramped supply closet filled with brooms, mops, and other cleaning supplies, as well as the lances that she had seen Everlue's help carrying before. She pushed aside some of the weapons, uncovering an old door that had been obscured in the dim light. Opening it, it revealed a descending staircase, leading into an even blacker unknown.

Levy pushed through her nerves, and carefully made her way down. A noxious smell assaulted her senses, growing stronger as she continued on. When she reached the bottom, she found the source of the stench as she came to a stop at a sewer bank, the water flowing a murky brown in front of her.

She leaned against the wall beside the stairs and opened Daybreak, activating her glasses. Their magic illuminated the pages as they flipped towards the back cover at an amazing speed, her eyes widening at the revelation secreted away. "This is incredible," she exhaled, her heart racing at the truth of the book.

A loud clang rang suddenly throughout the underground, and a pair of hands grabbed at Levy's wrists. Caught in the vicegrips, the hands cuffed her arms behind her back, causing Daybreak to fall with a flat thud. Everlue's triumphant snickering sent despair throughout Levy's body, as she felt his stuffy breathing on the back of her neck. "Care to share what you've learned of my book?" he asked, his tone as vile as the waters of the sewer.

* * *

Jet and Droy both smiled at each other while the two Vanish brothers looked at them in disappointment. Jet and Droy were still embarrassed that they got captured by Everlue earlier when he figured out their scheme. They were doing a good job at keeping Everlue busy but he was able to figure it all out when he got a call on his lacrima from someone. The two boys assumed now that the call was from those two guys who were acting as security for Everlue. The two members of Shadowgear wanted revenge now for having their mission be disrupted and they were going to defeat them.

"Who in the world are you," Droy asked the two brothers.

"I am Yang Vanish and the other man is my younger brother Ying. We are both from the Southern Wolves mercenary guild and we were hired to be the Duke's bodyguard," the man addressed.

"If your friends were any good in a fight, maybe you should've had them stick around," Yang Vanish, the one with the pan, said confidently as he crouched into a fighting stance.

"Maybe we should have, but I trust that Levy and Lucy can go and take down Everlue and that maid of his. We can easily handle you two so how about you pay attention." Jet then quickly with his speed magic ran past one of the Vanish brothers and kicked them in the stomach, watching him fall to the ground clutching his stomach.

"A speed mage I see, well I must say that you are quite fast but not as fast as one of our bosses," Ying announced.

Droy then took his hand and reached towards a belt on his shirt. He then grabbed one of his plant seeds and threw it down towards the Vanish brother watching as his knuckle plants emerged. The plants then appeared to have gained knuckle like features and began to assault the two brothers.

"A holder mage that uses plant magic. Interesting I must say with those plants that emerged but they are weak just like you," Yang stated as he took the frying pan and spun it around him, destroying the plants.

Ying then jumped down and tried to kick at Droy who barely dodged the attack. Droy quickly grabbed another seed plant and threw it at Ying; hoping that he could get some distance away from Ying. This time the plant he threw acted as vines that began to attack Ying who shifted over to the left to dodge them.

Yang swung the frying pan at Jet trying to kill him. Jet quickly out speed Yang, dodging the blow as he clenched his fist; punching Yang in the stomach.

"Answer this for us; did you kill those mages that tried before us?"

"Of course we killed those trespassers. One of those was a fire mage and the other was a ice mage."

"Do you know why we're so successful against wizards?" Ying asked from beneath his headband, looking down at Natsu as he stood again, slower this time. "Because where you wizards lack, we excel."

"Wizards spend all their time training with magic, so they neglect to build up their bodies," Yang continued, twirling his pan. "For all your magical abilities, your frail bones shatter easily against mercenaries, specimens in peak physical condition. You might as well be sheep, compared to wolves like us."

Jet smirked, his quiet laugh enabling the second's rage.

"What's so funny?" Ying demanded. His brother held up an arm to keep him from acting rashly.

"How wrong you guys are," Jet answered. "We get hit harder than that on a regular basis back at the guild. In Fairy Tail, we all push each other to be the strongest we can be, and that includes both magically and physically. So if that was the best you could do, then I'll tell you right now, you wouldn't stand a chance against any member from our guild."

Yang snarled, unbound as the first lowered his arm. "I've had enough of your crap! Combo attack!"

The smaller brother held out his pan directly in front of him, setting it up as a catapult for the larger. "Heaven and Earth Annihilation!" they exclaimed in unison. The first of the two launched his brother high into the air, the tree leaves shrouding Droy's eyesight.

"Gaze up at heaven, and it's the earth's assault!" the smaller shouted as he swiped at Jet with his pan. The mage had braced himself for an attack, but not against the brother on the ground.

"Keep your eyes on the earth, and heaven strikes from above!" the second said as he crashed through the branches with a meteor-like kick on the distracted Droy before something flashed by.

As the dust and dirt billowed about, the Vanish Brothers stood together, smirking with grandeur at their mission accomplished. However, their grins disappeared when a dark outline appeared through the fading cloud, standing completely straight.

"That wasn't bad at all," Jet said as the air cleared fully, revealing his pugnacious smile, "but that was your one shot to do some real damage. You didn't."

"What in the world happened? You two should have been died?"

"I quickly ran from your attack and saved my friend from your huge combo attack. Droy it is time for our counter attack."

"Face the power of the Delta Triangle!" Jet quickly began to race around the two twins forming a triangle. The magic energy in his legs began to take form of a destructive shockwave that knocked the two twins down.

"Now have a taste of the Venus Fly Trap." Droy threw a few seeds down on the ground near the two twins. The seed then began to grow quickly into a flytrap which began to consume the two twins. A few minutes passed and the two twins passed out on the ground defeated as the flytrap faded from the ground.

"That is what happen when you mess with fairy tail," Droy announced.

"Now lets go and find the girls!"

* * *

Lucy and Crater both stood side by side as they opposed Virgo.

"We need to figure out a way to stop Virgo and help Levy."

"I have a few potions that should be of aid in this fight. However realize miss Lucy that this maid is a powerful mage that seems to rely on her strength so you must rely on your speed."

Crater took one of his potions from his set and handed it to Lucy.

"What kind of potion is this?"  
"This is a potion that should help raise your agility," Crater explained as Lucy drank the potion. It took a few moments but Lucy began to feel her speed increase and her body began feeling more agile.

Virgo jumped at the wizard, lowering her shoulder for a frenzied tackle. Lucy, with considerable agility from the potion, was able to evade the charge, and strike back with her whip. Virgo tried to dodge, but caught a glancing blow across her upper arm. She hopped back to create distance, then began to sink into the ground with her Diver Magic.

"Crater do you have any potion that could stop this sneak attack," Lucy asked.

"I should have a potion that could send her flying once she emerges from the ground."

Seconds passed, with Lucy steadily pivoting in place, trying to anticipate where she would reemerge from. Unfortunately, she was unable to predict where the attack would be coming from. She turned away from it just a moment too soon, and was struck with a hammer-like club across her back. She was sent stumbling forward, but her momentum was halted when she felt a pair of chains wrap around her.

Virgo flew over her, twisting in the air to face her. The shackles around her wrists had extended their chains to hold Lucy in place, the metal links rattling as she ran towards her again. As Virgo picked up speed, Lucy had the quick idea of having Crater fire the potion. The potion exploded on Virgo sending her flying backward from the huge vortex of wind. This caused Lucy to fall on the ground as Crater took another potion out which was able to destroy the chain.

Lucy took her whip and flung it at Virgo watching as she grabbed her by the arm. Crater took a potion and gave it to Lucy which helped raise her strength as she pulled harder on it. She watched as Virgo fell to the ground from the pull as she went crashing into the gigantic golden stature of Everlue that the staircase spiraled around. Crater threw a potion at Virgo which began to consume Virgo in a flood of water.

"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Ursa Major!" She chanted as Ursa Major magic began to spread through her body.

Her glossy blonde hair, which was pulled into a tight, low ponytail, came undone. It shimmered in light like a summoning spirit, and after a moment shone dark brown like Ursa Major fur and her outfit changed to a dress that looked similar to a fur coat.

"My Ursa Major partial summoning is one of my strongest. In this form, I can manipulate ice and I have a huge boost of strength in this form. My senses will also let me hear and smell you wherever you might dig around, so you won't be able to overpower me, and you won't be able to sneak up on me again. Wanna call it quits?"

"I was tasked with defeating you. I must fulfill my duties to Master Everlue," she said stiffly, as if she had no choice in the matter.

"Why do you even serve a despicable man like him, anyway?" Lucy inquired, trying to reason with her enemy. "I can tell you're not like him, so why hang around?"

Virgo brushed away the dirt on her maid's apron. She had gotten back on her feet, but it was evident that

"He possesses my key. I am contracted to him," she replied, again empty of feeling. Key? Contract?

"It all makes sense now. You're a Celestial Spirit, aren't you?" she asked. A thought occurred to her, casting a fanged smile on her face. "You deserve someone kind to be your master, and I am just the person. What would it take to break your contract with Everlue?"

"A kind master?" Virgo asked, her face showing hints of intrigue and hope. "If Everlue were to be incarcerated, his magic would be nullified by the authorities. That would extend to our contract, making it null and void." She then squared her shoulders, positioning herself to attack again. "But so long as our agreement is in place, I am still obligated to follow his wishes."

"But so long as our agreement is in place, I am still obligated to follow his wishes."

Virgo then pounded the floor with both hands, causing sharp rock protrusions to spike up in a rapid line towards Lucy. The Celestial mage countered with a similar maneuver with sharp ice , striking the ground herself just before Virgo's attack reached her. The impact of her blow created a crescent trench to stop the protrusions, and Lucy took off, running towards her opponent with claws bared.

The maid rocketed her chains at the girl, trying to restrain her once more. Lucy, not fast enough in her Ursa Major form to evade them, instead borrowed a page from her friends playbook. She stuck out her left arm, allowing it to be wrapped up by both sets of chains. With her right paw, she slashed through her steel binds, sending the broken links flying. With a cry, she jumped up to meet the surprised Virgo, and landed a powerful closed strike to her temple.

The mansion shook as Virgo soared into the far wall. Sure of the fact that she wouldn't be getting up again, Lisanna reverted back to her normal self, panting as she surveyed the damage. "I'm really sorry about that," she smiled apologetically. She quickly decided in her mind that she would use her time magic from her Horologium form to revert the destruction she caused. "I promise, you'll never be hurt again because of Everlue."

* * *

"You Everlue, are an enemy of literature," Levy screamed at him.

"An enemy of literature, me?" Everlue snarled as he gripped Levy tighty. "A man that is sophisticated, cultured. I am the pinnacle of sophistication and I have great taste " He gripped harder onto her arms, the mage gripping to withstand the pain.

"Daybreak is mine! Any secrets it contains were meant for me!" Everlue said, tightening his grip on Levy's wrists. "If you won't tell me what it is, then you'll leave me with no choice but to force it out of you!"

"Just like you forced Kemu Zaleon to write this book for you?" Levy spat back, trying to keep the strain from showing in her voice. "I know you blackmailed and imprisoned him, you monster!"

"Monster?!" Everlue snarled in shock. His grasp constricted so much that Levy was sure her wrists would break, but before they reached that fierce bravery, Levy stuck out her tongue at the man. The duke growled and was about to rip her arms off when she suddenly felt herself freed. She was quite relieved that her spell FIRE which she wrote using her hand worked.

"The tables are turned now!" Levy said. "Just let me take the book and I'll let you go."

"Foolish girl," The duke pointed. "You only say that phrase when you gain an advantage, and some magic won't change a thing." The man dived down straight into the earth.

"It's diver magic," Levy said, watching the area for signs of attacks. "It was in the surface story, the terrible one with Everlue as the main character."

"Oi," The Fairy leaped out of the way as Everlue burst through the ground beneath her. "He was suppose to write me as a hero in that story. However he wrote me to be utter crap instead."

"What did you expect to happen," Levy yelled. "Especially after you forced him to write when you threaten to take away his family's citizenship." Everlue launched himself towards the girl, but was blocked by Levy's spell which was a column of Earth.

"You forced him to sacrifice it!" Levy yelled. "A writer has the natural right to choose which story to write, but you took that away when you locked him up for three years. He had to swallow his pride and write a story about an idiot like yourself, in order to protect his family!"

The duke growled. "How did you know so many details." Levy smirked. "Remember when I said surface story, that's the crappy story you force Zaleon to write. But before he was a writer, he was a mage. He put a spell on the book that reveals the true tale when read unorthodoxly."

Everlue paled. "Does that mean, it contains his grudges against me!"

"How shallow of you to think that." She held the book up. "Yes, it contains the process he was forced to undergo, but it also contains an important message, the true purpose of the story." Putting the book away, she raised her pen once more. "And that's why I have to fulfil it, at any cost.

Everlue snarled. "Well, you'll have to take that plan to the grave!" Everlue slowly began to sink into the ground again, keeping his eyes fixed on the girl all the while. "I warned you," he said ominously as he disappeared fully.

"For three years you had one of the most talented writers of his time locked up, forcing him to write a story where you were the main character!" Levy accused as she waited for him to make his move. "You had Zaleon narrate you as some sort of hero, even as you taunted him from outside his cell with threats against his family!"

"It was an honor for him to get to use me as inspiration for a book!" Everlue cried wildly, his voice clear coming up through the tunnel, and echoing around the sewer. "Any other writer would've been overjoyed at the chance, but he had the audacity to refuse my offer! I was merely prompting him to see the errors in his judgment!"

A moment later, he drilled through the wall and torpedoed towards the girl again, but she was able to roll out of the way. His onslaught continued, without success, for another handful of attempts, but he stopped to look upon Lucy's tired expression with a grin.

"But those are the kind of details that are better left underground," he said, resuming his dark composure as he began to walk towards her. "Six feet under."

"So you're gonna try to kill us, just like you killed those other wizards before us?" Levy asked, rooted to her spot partly in fear, partly in determination.

The short man chuckled. "I don't intend on merely trying. Even if your friends somehow managed to survive against Virgo and the Vanish Brothers, I am more than capable of getting my own hands dirty. After all, I have the most beautiful staff in the world to clean up after me, and the knights of this town are quite an agreeable bunch of trash collectors."

"And that can go on the record, too."

That froze Everlue in his tracks. "What are you talking about?" he demanded as the color drained from his face.

Levy, with an all-knowing smirk, reached behind her and pulled out a shiny lacrima orb that fit comfortably in her hand. It began to glow as Everlue's voice filled the tunnel, but not from the man's grimacing lips. "But those are the kind of details that are better left underground. Six feet under."

"You see I enjoy carrying unique things with me " she said, "like this recording lacrima, for one. Now, I wonder what the Magic Council would think if they heard our whole conversation?"

Everlue's eyes were almost popping out of their sockets, his veins bulging through his neck and forehead. "I'm going to tear your arms off and take my book and that lacrima!" he screamed, flying off the rails. He began to spiral his way through the ground once more, creating a powerful rumble beneath Levy's feet.

The girl only smiled, having the politician right where she wanted him. She just needed one final push to really send him over the edge.

"Solid Script: W-A-T-E-R!" Levy took her pen and the words soon went into the hole causing a torrent to send the Duke flying upward to the surface. Levy then wrote the words F-A-L-L watching as the Duke fell straight to the ground.

"How dare you! You got my suit all ruined and now you're going to pay. Star Suit: Virgo Form!" Levy watched as Everlue held a golden key in his hand and inserted it in his chest. She watched as a golden light consumed him and his suit changed.

Everlue then began to use the extra magic that he received from his Star Suit to create more holes in the ground. He then dove into one of the holes. A moment later, he drilled through the wall and torpedoed towards Levy sending her hurtling to the ground.

"Tell me what you know about Lucy Heartfilia," Levy asked as she took her pen and wrote the words W-I-N-D. The letters became a blast of wind that was strong enough to push the duke towards the ground and into one of the holes that he created.

"That blonde girl that you are with, you do know that she ran away from her father right. He is trying to bring her back home and he is willing to pay anyone to get her back. I would have never expected to see an heiress like her try to steal a terrible book Your guild better watch out because he will do whatever is necessary to retrieve her. "

"What do you want from Lucy?"

"That girl is the daughter of one of the wealthiest men alive. If I can get her to stay here, I can bargain with her father and receive all her keys as well as make money."

Levy then wrote out the words O-I-L which caused extensive amount of black oil to stain his suit. She then wrote out the words W-I-N-D which caused Duke Everlue to fly upward from the hole and hit the ground, falling unconscious.

"All right!" Levy shouted with excitement.

"Hey!" she heard a young man shout behind them. Jet, Droy and Lucy appeared at the foot of the stairs, then jogged up to her as they saw the defeated Everlue.

"Whoa! What did you do to this guy, Levy?" Jet asked with approving curiosity, as Lucy looked perturbed over his shoulder.

"Any man who thinks I'm ugly has to be bordering on insanity," she stated darkly, but quickly reverted back to her usual cheery self. "When I discovered the true story within Daybreak, I understood just how unhinged Everlue really was. I simply took from him the stability of his safety net by getting him to confess to his crimes and recording it for the Magic Council."

"Great job," Droy commended with a smile.

* * *

As they exited the Everlue mansion, her awe tripled when what remained of the once-great household collapsed in implosion, thanks to the tunnels Everlue had dug up sinking in on themselves, and aided by all the structural damage caused by the fighting. The commotion had been heard all over town, drawing both concerned citizens and the Knights Unit alike to the front gates.

When the authorities began to question what had happened, Lucy played Everlue's admission from her lacrima for all the crowd to hear. Before it got to the part where the authorities were incriminated as accomplices, a lone knight with a distinct scar pattern on the left side of his face stepped in and assured her quietly that he was actually an undercover Rune Knight investigating Everlue's activities. When he proved it with his tattoo insignia, the Fairy Tail wizards turned over both the lacrima and the tied-up mayor to only him, leaving the bald man's and the corrupt officials' fates in the hands of the Magic Council.

And Daybreak hadn't been the only item Lucy acquired from Everlue. As they had dragged him up from the basement, Lucy had revealed the truth of his head maid. Searching through his coat pockets, she indeed found Virgo's Golden Key, and added it to her ringed collection, promising to care for her and treat her with the respect that her depraved former master had neglected to show. She was however told that she would need to have Virgo testify against Everlue and reveal all of the crimes that he has committed.

* * *

Much later the group arrived at the client's mansion, where the Melons were excited to see them. "Oh, thank goodness," Kaby said. "I thought you would have died like the other wizards. So did you destroy that book?"

"I can't express how much it gladdens me that this book is out of Everlue's possession. I also appreciate the fact that you brought it to me, so I could personally rid the world of it myself," the client said with a thankful smile shared with his wife. He began to reach for the novel, but Levy picked it up first.

"Just one second, Kaby," she said, pulling it back towards her. "You never did tell us why you needed this book destroyed so badly. If you don't mind, we'd like to hear your reasons as to why you want to get rid of the last thing Kemu Zaleon ever wrote - or should I say, Zekua Melon, your father."

Kaby was shocked that Levy knew, as it was not widely known that 'Kemu Zaleon' was merely a pen name. With a pained sigh, he began his explanation. "Thirty-one years ago, my father returned home after a three-year absence as a shell of the man he once was. The first thing he did after stumbling through the door was vow to never write again, and cut off his right arm."

The Fairy Tail wizards gasped as the thought was displayed in their minds.

"He never made a full recovery, as he passed away shortly after. Before that, he told me with an oddly peaceful smile that the book he had written for Duke Everlue had been rubbish. Even after I'd warned him not to work for that wretched man, he was unable to resist the lure of the money Everlue had presented. He was gone for the next three years, working on a novel that that been the low point of his abilities. I berated him for selling out his family and pride as a writer, saying things I would eventually come to regret. I knew that I could never take back those harsh words, but I thought that if I destroyed the book that had caused him so much suffering, then his legacy would be preserved, and his honor restored."

"So, you're not aware of the secret inside Daybreak?" Lucy asked.

"What secret?"

The blue haired girl held the book out to him. As soon as it was in Kaby's hands, it began to glow, filling the room a blinding light. As their vision grew accustomed to the vibrancy, they were able to make out links of words pouring out from the book, creating a spectacle for the six people.

"Daybreak, the book that Kemu Zaleon wrote for Duke Everlue, might've been a horrible piece of literature, but the story that Zekua Melon hid inside it with a spell is undoubtedly the signature masterpiece that every novelist hopes to someday tell," Levy said.

As she spoke, the letters of the title lifted off the cover, then rearranged themselves to reveal its true name: Dear Kaby.

"Your father loved you very much, Kaby. That's what that book is truly about, a father's love of his son, as all the words were scattered out of place to form more or less the tale Everlue wanted. He didn't stop writing due to shame; it was because he would never be able to surpass the story he left for you. I'm sorry that it took so long for it to get to its true owner, but now that words are in the right order, we hope that you'll enjoy reading it."

"Thank you so much," Kaby said, holding the book to his chest as tears brimmed at the corners of his eyes, his wife tenderly gripping his knee with a gracious smile. "Truly, thank you."

Lucy, Jet , Levy and Droy all smiled at the sight, then shared the smiles within their circle, proud of what they had accomplished on this day.

* * *

"Still can't believe we didn't get the 2 million jewels." Lucy said as the four walked through a forest following Pyxis.

"Aw, come on Luce," Levy replied in a joking manner. "Don't tell me ya gone greedy."

"I have not!" Levy only laughed in response. "Still can't believe they weren't actually rich. We would have helped if we meet them in their real home."

"It was an interesting tactic," Droy thought out loud. "Using a mansion borrowed from a friend to present an image of wealth to clients."

"Yeah, it was." Levy said. "Speaking of which, how did you know that wasn't their house Lucy?"

"Oh, I simply used my intuition. I simply decided to use my past experience to realize that the melon family didn't act like wealthy people at all. They seemed way too uncomfortable being there and I could also tell that they didn't own the house by the way that they asked us to get through the backdoor."

Suddenly the rustling of a nearby bush grabbed their attention. They all watched as Natsu appeared to be fighting against Gray with Happy cheering them both on.

"Hey guys," Levy said. "How about we talk about this, calmly, over lunch." The two stared at her in confusion before their stomach growled, so they agreed with the petite mage, before they turn their backs to each other.

* * *

"So you're just heading back home from a quest?" Levy asked Gray and Natsu as the six were sitting at a ravine. The five were still eating while Happy began fishing.

"Actually, I am wanting to get to the guild as soon as possible." Gray said. "And if you don't want trouble you should too." He got up and stared at the distance.

"What do you mean?" Levy asked. Gray shuddered with fear. "It's because Erza coming back soon any time now."

"Thee Erza," Lucy said in awe.

"She is the most powerful women in all of Fairy Tail," Happy mentioned.

"I don't know if that is true with how strong Mirajane is," Droy retorted.

"I can't wait to meet her. But I've never seen a picture of her in Sorcerer Weekly or anything. So what is she like?"

"Scary," Gray and Natsu both agreed.

"She is a wild animal," Droy stated.

"She is a vile beast," Jet declared.

"More like a full on monster," Happy announced.

Lucy and Levy watched as the four boys continued to over exaggerate on how terrifying Erza was.

"So Levy, what is Erza like?"

"While Erza may be intimidating, she's actually a good companion. She is however super strict and you may need to watch out."

"That's because you're never on her bad side." Gray protested.

"That's because I gave neither Erza reasons to be mad at me, unlike you two," Levy retorted.

Before the conversation could extend, an explosion occurred at the ravine, leaving a pile of sand nearby. Lucy, Levy, Droy, Jet and Gray were buried in the sand, with Levy and Lucy on all fours, Jet and Gray up to their shoulders, and Natsu and Droy trapped head first. The dragon-slayer popped out then looked around before shouting. "Where's Happy?!"

* * *

"Help me." Happy deadpanned, for he was tied completely on a stick over an unlit campfire. Surrounding him were five mages, a grey skinned goblin-like mage, two carrottop twins, a black-haired man with a crystal orb, and a giant chicken-like mage.

"We'll finally get some real protein." One of the twins said.

"No berries or nuts tonight." The other said.

The chicken spoke as well. "Meat!"

"Our future holds a feast." The orb-holder said.

Despite the comments Happy continued to shake.

"Look at him shaking," the other twin mentioned.

"Geez," The other twin said.

"Relax, you are going to be in our bellies soon enough. So there is no need to be scared."

"Actually, I'm not shaking like this because I am scared. I've got to use the bathroom really bad. I can't hold it much longer and I bet that it is going to make me taste weird," Happy mentioned.

"Who cares? Now cook it," the goblin declared.

The goblin face the chicken. "Do it." The chicken lit a stick he was holding and was about to lit the campfire, when a voice called out.

"Hold it right there," Natsu yelled at them.

"Happy!"

"Oh thank goodness, now I'm not going to taste weird."

"That's our friend that you are trying to roast buddy. Sorry but you guys are going to have to find other plan for dinner," Natsu mentioned.

"You're all wizards aren't you?" Gray questioned. "What guild are you from."

The goblin just smirked. "I'm not telling, get them" He commanded his compatriots, who launched themselves at the wizards. The six Fairies leaped off the cliff and prepared to fight back, managing to dodge the enemy's attack.

"Solid Script: W-A-T-E-R!" A barrage of water coming from those five water soon put the fire out.

"Sand bomb," The goblin hit his fist on the ground. "Go!" A massive sandstorm surrounded Natsu.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted worriedly.

"He'll be fine," Gray said. "Get Happy out of there." Lucy nodded and raced towards the cat.

"Going somewhere?" The two twins rushed towards her and Droy and Jet went to protect her. Jet used his speed magic to kick one of the twin out of the way while Droy used his magic to summon forth plants to assault the other twin.

"Help! Lucy going to eat me."

"Shut up, cat!"

As Lucy was untying Happy from the branch, the yellow chicken man emerged with his fire stick ready to kill the two fairies.

"Please don't kill me Mr. Chicken ," Lucy yelled. She then grabbed Happy and began running as Gray kicked the chicken sending him flying to the ground. Levy then emerged behind the chicken, hitting him with iron.

"Ommmm." The ice mage's attention turned to the man with orb humming. "You'll see someone special but the stars point to great trouble with water and women ." Gray just sweat dropped. "You just tell fortunes?" Gray then kicked the fortune teller as Levy used her magic to trap the dark mages.

"Excuse me," Lucy said sternly after realizing that Gray wasn't using magic at all. "Where are your clothes?" Gray looked down and saw he was only in his boxers. "Aw, crap!"

"Where these brats come from?" The goblin asked. Suddenly a roar came from the sandstorm and it exploded, freeing Natsu.

"You jerk, now I have a mouth full of sand and it all cause of you," Natsu spat on the ground getting some of the sand out of his mouth.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist Attack!" He began to gather the ethernano in his body which started to convert itself into fire on both hands. He then ran towards the goblin and his two flaming hands collided into him sending him to a tree.

Much later, all five of the enemies were tied up to a tree. "Not so fun being tied up, huh." Happy quipped. Meanwhile the two hotheaded fairies were arguing again.

"Don't you think you might have gone overboard, Natsu?"

"So what if I did Gray? I got the job done.""

"Grow up already Natsu, you're an embarrassment to the guild," Gray mentioned.

Levy and Lucy were now talking to the prisoners. Levy was talking to the fortune teller who began to read her fortune.

"You'll have a dangerous meeting but the stars point to great trouble with a iron and a slayer." Levy just sweat dropped. "You just saw my future?"

"Lulla," The goblin muttered. Lucy was now curious. "Hm, what was that?"

"Lulla...by." Suddenly a dark presence appeared behind them which resulted in their prisoners screaming in fear. Lucy and Levy stared at a bald man with a skull tattoo on his face before they both got kicked to the ground.

"Lucy and Levy are you two okay," Jet asked. Jet swiftly ran towards the two girls before he sensed a huge amount of magic near them. This massive amount of magic energy terrified everyone in the area and Jet helped them evacuate the area.

"Ice make: lances," Gray yelled as lances made of ice were shot towards the man who dodged all of the attack.

Droy then took his hand and reached towards a belt on his shirt. He then grabbed one of his plant seeds and threw it down towards the man watching as his knuckle plants emerged. The plants then appeared to have gained knuckle like features and began to assault the man.

"It is time that we go," the man mentioned as he closed his hand causing Jet, Droy and Gray to vanish alongside the five prisoners.

"Whoever they are, they are fast." Happy stated.

"I couldn't even sense their magic." Natsu added.

Levy on the other hand was in deep thought. "Lullaby?" She knew she heard it before, but she could not identify why.

"They managed to capture Jet, Droy and Gray," Lucy exclaimed in horror.

* * *

In another town, the townspeople looked in shock as a red-haired girl was carrying a large monster tooth over her head as she walked by. The civilians moved away, as if they could sense the massive amount of magic energy within her.

 _It's been awhile since I was in Fairy Tail. She thought. I wonder what has happened while I was gone._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Wizard in Armor

I just wanted to thank **theafrost, sondowth,Siti Wafa, Neils1995, manuela26,cureheart1023,Lucy the queenofstars,JcL107,Waterkase, machomatthew29350, qasderwed** , **ErNa-Chan and AnimeLuver778** for following and favoriting this story. I really appreciate it and if there is anything that you would like to see, please leave a review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. Just the OC's that I wrote

* * *

A day passed since the abduction of Gray, Jet and Droy. Lucy was currently in her apartment, looking through some of the books that she had. She was trying to figure out why the name Lullaby seemed familiar to her. She understood that the term Lullaby referred to a tune that a child gets played to go to sleep but she swore she heard that name refer to something else as well.

"Where have I heard that name before," Lucy mentioned to herself as she flipped through various books. She looked through her book which talked about magical artifacts and items. She scanned the book which mentioned the different artifacts and the powers that they all hold however she sadly couldn't find anything.

"I have just the spirit who might know something about that name," Lucy realized. She took one of her silver key and began to pour her magic energy into it. "Open gate of the Southern Cross, Crux!" Lucy chanted as a silver magic circle appeared as her spirit appeared from the Celestial Spirit Realm. Crux was a giant metal cross who was levitating from the ground and he appeared to be sleeping.

"Grandpa Crux can you tell me anything that you know about the word Lullaby," Lucy asked. Crux had a unique magic that allowed him to scan through any past history relating to anything involving celestial magic. It was similar to archive magic and Lucy suspected that Crux should have some knowledge on what Lullaby truly was. She watched as Crux began to do his scan. A few minutes passed of him snoring until she finally heard him scream out that he obtained the information.

"The information that you require miss Lucy is that lullaby is a term used to sing a child to bed. However in the past, it turns out that lullaby was a page in the book of Zeref. It was a flute that used death magic to kill its targets however it was sealed off centuries ago."

"Am I allowed to disclose who sealed off that flute," Lucy asked, she knew that the confidentiality among the spirits and mage were an important thing .

"I am not allowed to disclose who but all I can say is that a Heartfilia was the one who sealed it away. Lucy you should also know that two additional seals are in place which is a demon slayer and a celestial mage in order to break it."

"Thank you Crux for the information." Lucy then watched as Crux returned back to the Celestial Spirit Realm. She was at least relieved that there was no possible way for Lullaby to be awakened. She knew that the Zentopia Church had a few demon slayers to exorcise demons but she haven't heard anything about there being a demon slayer in the area and she has only heard about dragon slayers being alive. She doubt that whoever was going after Lullaby would be aware of this requirement

Lucy then walked over to a board that she began which consisted of all the information that she had about Lullaby and those mages that kidnapped her guild mates. It turns out that those mages, Lucy discovered were members of the Einsenwald guild. It was a guild that was supposedly in allegiance with the Oracion Seis who she believed had a celestial mage that killed Karen. She was able to figure that out after looking through various news articles and a official book mentioning the name of dark guilds. She did recall hearing the goblin from last night mention that he was scared of some Erigor, Kageyama and Jacob dude. Lucy did not understand a single thing last night but now that she thought it through, she was being told the names of three potential dangerous dark guild members.

Lucy did some digging through old magazines and papers to discover that Erigor was the name of the Ace of Eisenwald who was known as the Death God. She found out that he used some sort of wind magic and that he was an assassin who used a scythe. She also discovered something about Kageyama who turned out to be a dispeller and used shadow magic which caused concern for her. Finally, she tried researching about the Jacob fellow but could not discover anything about him, other than the fact that he was from the Western continent and that he was known as the Transporter of Death.

Lucy then took out a silver key to summon a spirit to talk to. She the began to pour her magic energy into the key and chanted, " Open, gate of the Big Bear, Ursa Major," Lucy announced as a silver glow appeared and a few seconds later a young dark skin woman appeared with long brown hair.

"My child, what can I do for you today?"

"I was wondering if I could talk to you about something," Lucy asked as she was still troubled about yesterday.

"My child, tell me what is bothering you."

"Yesterday, I went on my first official mission with Team Shadowgear where we went up against a corrupt celestial mage who was a politician and his mercenaries. I fought against his Zodiac spirit Virgo who I managed to defeat and I gained her key. However, we were going back to town when we met up with Gray and Natsu and had food together where they told me about a terrifying guild mate. Happy somehow got kidnapped and we were ambushed by a few Eisenwald members. The others fought against them while I rescued Happy. My guild mates were able to capture the Eisenwald members and the members mentioned something about Erigor and Lullaby. Finally, Levy and I got attacked by some man who captured all of the Eisenwald members and some of my friends," Lucy told her.

"My child, do you feel that you are weak and are not aiding your friends," Mama Ursa asked.

"Yes, I do feel that I'm a burden to my guild mates and that I am just depending on them to protect me."

"My child, I think that you are underestimating yourself just a little. Please remember that this was your first mission so it comes to no surprise that your friends wants to protect you. My child, give yourself some time to just make friends and train your magic on these mission. Maybe the first thing you should do is form a contract with your newest spirit."

"It's time that I start to practice my magic. After all, now that I have another golden key maybe I can begin summoning a golden and a silver key together. I need to push my magic further so that I can fight alongside my guild mates," Lucy declared. She then heard a knock on the door, startling her for a second.

"Mama Ursa, I'll talk to you later," she then watched as the spirit faded back to the spirit realm. She rushed to open it, seeing Natsu and Happy standing outside. She welcomed them in and they then went to sit on her bed.

Happy kicked his feet as he looked around. "Nice place."

"Thanks," Lucy replied heartily.

Another rapping at the door meant another guest had arrived. This time the door revealed Cana, who held out a decoratively wrapped bottle of wine. "Call it a housewarming gift," she said, grinning as Lucy received it.

"Uh, thanks," she said as she allowed Cana to pass through, "but, I don't drink."

The brunette nodded thoughtfully as she sat down at the table. "I did notice you never order anything at the hall other than a smoothie." Lucy offered her to keep the wine to herself, and she agreed with only the slightest bit of hesitation. "So who else is coming to this party?" she wondered as she waved at Happy and Natsu.

"Levy is the only other person that I can think would be coming here but I didn't invite any of you here. Last night, after our mission somethin terrible happened and I've spent the last night trying to investigate who did it and why," Lucy explained.

As Cana turned down a glass of water in favor of twisting off the bottle cap, Lucy heard another knock and this time it was Levy.

"Hey Lu, we thought it would be a good idea to see your apartment and help you keep your mind off of what happened last night."

"I might as well, show you all my next contract with my newest spirit that I got from my first mission."

With Cana and Levy looking on from her table, Lucy gave herself the open space left as she unhooked her latest Golden Key, and spoke the summoning chant. "Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

After another burst of light from the spirit's gate, a pretty, slender young woman in a maid's uniform materialized through the glow, bowing at the waist. "Mistress," she addressed Lucy submissively. "How can I serve you today?"

"Wait just a sec," she said, looking down at her key in confusion. Everyone else but Cana and Natsu also appeared unsure of what was going on. "Are you really Virgo?"

"I am," the girl replied. Other than being buttoned up in the front, Virgo's outfit remained the same, although her hair was let down from the pigtails they had originally seen her wearing. Her tone remained mostly neutral, but hints of joy could be picked up on as well. "I am very loyal to my master, so I can change my appearance to be more accommodating to their desires. This form is acceptable, yes, Mistress?"

"Wait what her previous form," Cana asked.

"She was kind of like a big tough gorilla maid thing that I fought yesterday," Lucy explained.

"Oh can we see it," Natsu asked.

In response, Virgo transformed back into the version that worked for Everlue, taking up most of the available space left in the apartment, bending what little neck she had against the ceiling. "Actually, I liked you better before. Not that you don't look good now, but the big tough gorilla maid thing was awesome," Natsu cut in.

"Ignore him! Go back to the girl!" Lucy said, worried that she might bust the roof of her brand-new house. Virgo shrunk back down, and the two proceeded to sort out the details of their contract together. Her availability included every day but Sunday, at any time of day or night.

"I look forward to serving you, Mistress," Virgo said as she bowed again.

"Anyway, you don't have to refer to me as 'Mistress', you know."

"What would you prefer to be called? Is 'Princess' suitable?"

"No - actually, yeah, sure. 'Princess' works just fine. Virgo, I have a few questions that I wanted to ask you if that was okay?"

"Anything that my Princess wants, I will tell her if it isn't classified information," Virgo replied.

"Is there anything that I am going to need to do in order to have you be my spirit," Lucy asked.

"There will be a time in which I will give you a sort of trial to test your skills," Virgo mentioned. She then explained how she wanted to test Lucy strength, magic and skills another time.

"What kind of magic abilities do you have," Lucy asked. She needed to figure out what kind of powers that Virgo used so she could formulate how to use her with her other spirits.

" You see, Princess, I can manipulate the earth as well as use my chains to aid in combat. I can effectively liquidize the ground for brief periods of time, allowing me to pull off techniques such as being able to trap my opponents. I can also use my magic to create sink holes and essentially bend the earth to my control "

"Why didn't you do that to me?" Lucy asked.

Virgo's lip curled up at that, "Perceptive of you, Princess. The form Everlue kept me in, while suited to his preferences also gave me a far less subtle approach to combat. While I can hold my own, I'm arguably the weakest of the Zodiac, using my magic in conjunction with maintaining a form so different to my default maid appearance would have forced a gate closure and sent me back to the Celestial Spirit World hence why I didn't or rather couldn't use my earth manipulation abilities against you."

"I see." Lucy said, impressed that Virgo was good in both service and combat.

"That is so cool that Lucy now has a spirit that can manipulate the earth itself," Natsu exclaimed.

"My next question is what do you know about the demon Lullaby?"

"Lullaby was a demon from the book of Zeref. It used a curse known as Mass Murder which allows it to kill anyone who hears its song when it is in its flute form. Four Hundred Years ago, the dark Warlock Zeref created books of some of the most vile demons that he created which killed thousand of people. Zeref's demons terrorized the land for years as another war continued. A group of mages stopped Zeref's demons four hundred years ago and Lullaby itself was sealed away. Two women placed a seal on Lullaby in hopes that it would never awaken again; an enchantress and a fellow celestial mage. That is all that I am allowed to tell you at this time," Virgo explained.

"Finally, do you think that you can help me train to become stronger," Lucy asked.

"I would be honored to help you get stronger princess."

With Virgo's return to the Celestial World, Lucy gave a quick tour of her apartment for the benefit of her late guests. Once she finished up, the five left for the guild hall, with Natsu leading the way, Happy at his side and Lucy a step behind. Levy and Cana trailed them a bit farther, allowing them to speak between themselves.

"So you help stop a corrupt politician totally insane, and you get yourself a cute maid spirit that calls you 'Princess' and will do anything you ask her to," Cana said with a grin. "Lucy, you're a badass."

The blonde's cheeks flushed as the compliment. "I just wanna be the best wizard I can be. Whether people think of me as a badass doesn't matter."

"And humble, too," Cana winked, wrapping her arm easily around the shorter girl's shoulders. "When we get to the guild, no more of that simply hanging around me or Levy's group, alright? It's time you branch out and meet some of the other folks, got it? I know some of the guys would love to have a chance to talk to you."

When they arrived at the hall, Natsu and Happy went to scour the request board for more work. Cana automatically headed to the bar, but left for a table after placing her order. She motioned to Lucy to follow her, as she came to sit at the table occupied solely by another guild mate. The two old friends greeted one another, as the Celestial Wizard took the spot next to Cana.

"Your Max Alors, I've read all your stories in Sorcerer Weekly. Its a pleasure to meet you." She read all sorts of stories about his different adventures in Sorcerer Weekly.

"Yes Ma'am that would be me. I've also heard a lot about you too Lucy," Max asked, swirling the ice in his drink.

"I don't even want to know all the crazy thing that they probably told you," Lucy groaned. She assumed that her friends probably told all sorts of wild tales about her and she just hoped that she didn't have to learn about them.

"I'd say welcome to Fairy Tail, but from what I've heard, you've already made yourself at home with this madhouse," Max said. Cana's platter of drinks arrived, and he toasted with her before downing the liquid in his glass. Turning back to Lucy, he continued, "If you want some advice, I'd recommend the idea of meeting different people in the guild. It is a great idea to go on different missions with different guild mates because its a nice way to learn about everyone."

"I've been told that I should try doing that but I still need to meet a lot of people first," Lucy explained.

"Anyway, I heard that you saved an entire town from a psychotic, tyrannical, half-blind mayor and his huge gorilla maid?"

Somehow, Lucy just knew that Levy told Happy who made up this particular rendition of her encounter with Everlue.

Cana began to correct him on the story, Lucy jumping in where she was fuzzy on the details, when Max's eyes shifted to look behind the lovely ladies. They turned around to see Loke, the shades-wearing wizard giving them his most dazzling grin. "You know, I'm finding the real story is even better than the one going around," he said, leaning in close to the blonde. "I like the sound of a girl who can drive me crazy."

Lucy gave him an unimpressed smirk. "That's too bad," she said, her words coated with transparent charm. "You seem like such a nice guy, I'd hate to take what little sanity you must have left if that's what you'd want."

"Ouch," Loke clutched at his heart with a false wince, more of a wink than anything else, as the brunette laughed at Lucy's quip. "I guess Cana already got to you, then? Look, I can't help the fact that there are so many beautiful women in the world, and that the best of all seem to land here at Fairy Tail. I can only do my part in offering to make sure you're all treated like proper ladies. So what do you say, Lucy? At least give me a chance, please?"

"Just give it up," Cana said with a grin. "I know you love that face of yours as much as you do girls, so you better watch out before Lucy summons her bear spirit to maul it off."

"Bear spirit?" Loke's brow furrowed with familiarity. At that moment, Lucy held up a ring of jangling keys with her stamped hand, an eerie smile on her face as she singled out a silver artifacts. His eyes widened exponentially at the sight. "You're a... Celestial Wizard?" he choked out.

Lucy nodded smugly. "I'll tell you what: I'll let you take me out on a date, if you can get my spirits' approval. Sound like a fair deal?"

Perspiration dotted Loke's forehead as he took a few rigid steps back. "I have to... go, someplace, not here," he stammered unevenly before breaking into a run towards the front doors. He bolted outside hysterically, the guild hall pausing briefly at the sight before resuming its chatter.

"Why'd he get all weirded out?" Max wondered, Lucy equally as perplexed. "I've never seen him lose his cool like that."

Cana shrugged. "He once told me the kinds of women he wouldn't date. It was a pretty short list, but for whatever reason Celestial Wizards made the cut. He must've known a total psycho if he's that freaked out by them."

Before the three could start up a casual conversation after Loke's departure, Natsu walked up to their table, Happy floating by his shoulder. "Hey Lucy, what'd you do to scare Loke so bad?" he inquired with a big grin. "His face was priceless!"

"Nothing. He just found out I was a Celestial Wizard."

"That's it?" Happy asked, he and his best friend looking disappointed by the simple answer.

"I guess Loke does have a line he won't cross," a feminine voice sounded to their sides. Mira and Elfman approached Cana's table, coming over from where they were usually gathered at the corner table. Mira took the spot next to Lucy to close her in between her and Cana, while Elfman decided to stay on his feet.

"Never would've guessed that it was something so obscure, though."

"Its not manly to be scared of a girl," Elfman announced.

"There's only two girls in the guild that Loke won't make a move on," Cana began coyly as she and Mira scooted closer to a rapidly-reddening Lucy. A quick glance over at Mirajane insinuated she was one of them, the pair of boys beside her more than likely being the biggest reasons.

"Since he is an admittedly handsome boy, do you feel lucky to be the third?" Mira continued suggestively as Lucy was practically smothered between them. "Or, maybe you feel a little let down instead?"

"Um... lucky?" she replied meekly. Cana and Mira exchanged cat-like grins, before sliding back on the bench to give her an appropriate amount of space as measured by the personal bubble philosophy.

Suddenly the guilds doors were thrown open by a returning Loke. Apparently, the somewhere else he had to be was just as frightening as Lucy's choice of magic, as he remained looking completely spooked.

"It's Erza!" he cried, his tinted glasses nearly slipping off his nose as he named the second Fairy Tail girl he wouldn't dare approach. "She's back!"

Immediately, the entirety of the guild's activities came to a halt. Everyone turned towards the doors as Loke ducked back inside, anxious gazes fixed in search of the imposing feminine figure on her way.

"Erza? The strongest woman in Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked about the fabled S-Class Wizard, looking around to see all the paled faces in the building. Mira was the only smile she could find, displaying a smirk not unlike the ones seen on Natsu moments before. Now, Natsu was paralyzed along with the rest of their guildmates, probably what she thought was most surprising of all. How scary could Erza be if even the Dragon Slayer lost his nerve at her arrival?

"That's not as absolute as everyone might think," Mira whispered to Lucy, loud enough so only those surrounding her would hear. She angled her eyes as a spot in the distance grew into focus. It was a huge, horn-like item, seemingly carried one-handed by a lone person who gleamed in the sunlight. The hall was so quiet, Erza's footsteps grew audibly nearer as she approached. "But they're all so convinced of it, they all cower like misbehaved children whenever she comes back from a job."

Lucy wished to reply, but as Erza stepped into the building, she was able to make out her features. She was extremely attractive, rivaling Mira and Cana for the crown of most beautiful woman she'd ever seen. Her gorgeous red hair was just as eye-catching as the armor she wore over her torso and arms, the polished silver pieces that had made the guild squint as they reflected the sunlight.

Setting down the decorated horn that was easily twice her size, Erza scanned the still room. "Hello to you all," she said absently, greeting them as just a part of protocol. "Where is Master Makarov?"

"Erza," Mira nodded in reciprocation with her arms crossed, smirk intact. "The master's gone. He left earlier this morning for a Guild Master's meeting, and he won't be back for a few days."

The armored wizard hummed pensively. "I see."

Elfman cleared his throat, needing to keep his manly voice from cracking. "What's that thing you brought with you?" he asked. He thought he recognized what it was, but wasn't positive.

"It's the horn of the rhinocerox I defeated," she answered, confirming his suspicion. "The townspeople of the village it was terrorizing adorned it and allowed me to have it as a token of their gratitude."

Elfman nodded his head, feeling a pang of jealousy flash through him as he took in the bejeweled souvenir. That could've been his prize, if only...

Erza looked prepared to speak once again, but stopped herself as her eyes fell upon the pair of Macao and his best friend, Wakaba. The two pals had been drinking merrily and enjoying their usual conversation about the ladies in the guild, but Erza's return had crashed their party.

"Wakaba! How many times have I told you not to smoke inside the building?" she spoke, her authoritative voice straightening the man out from his incognito slump. He immediately put out the embers in his favorite pipe, the smoke wavering into nothingness as he followed orders. Erza then looked at Macao across from him, dread coloring his grimacing face. "And you, Macao... I heard what resulted with your Mt. Hakobe job. Even after I'd warned you about it, you decided to take your chances and go alone anyway. The next time you're looking for work, I suggest you pick a mission you can accomplish without having to involve a rescue team to go after you!"

Macao bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Erza. I won't be so reckless next time."

"I would hope not," she intoned strictly, before resuming what she was going to say before getting caught up with berating him and Wakaba. "Natsu. Where is Gray?"

"Excuse me... There is something that you need to be informed of. Last night, Jet, Droy and Gray were abducted by the dark guild Eisenwald member Jacob," Lucy announced.

"And who might you be?"

"My name is Lucy and I just joined the guild two days ago."

"This will be a problem then, I was going to ask Natsu and Gray for help," Erza revealed. The crowd gasped at the request, beginning to murmur about how Erza had never once asked for help.

"And what exactly is the mighty Erza facing now, that was going to require her to plead for help for the first time?" Mira asked smugly.

Erza glowered at her for a moment, until she gave in to answering the question only the model had dared ask. "While I was on the road, I overheard a conversation between what I thought were just normal wizards having a drink at the pub. It was only after I'd already left town that I placed the name one of them had mentioned: Erigor, the man they call The Reaper."

Mira grinned, again the only person in the guild to do so. "So those wizards must've been from the Dark Guild Eisenwald."

The red-haired woman nodded. "They were talking about needing to break the seal on a spell called Lullaby and taking it to Erigor. If someone who's made a name for himself by only taking assassination jobs like him has interest in it, then I imagine that it's a very powerful and dangerous magic. I wished to consult Master Makarov on the matter before taking action, but since he's away, I was going to have no choice but to assemble a team with two of the strongest wizards here and go after Eisenwald."

"So you wanna take down a Dark Guild, huh?" Natsu asked, his eyes lighting up. "Sounds like fun. However I have one condition if you want my help."

"Idiot!" Elfman shouted at him. "Why would you ask that?!"

"Once we get back, I want a brawl between us." Natsu stated. "I became a lot stronger that before." He smirked. "This time around, I'm taking you down!" Lucy and Elfman stared at him like he was a madman heading towards death, but Erza smirked. " I do sense that you have gotten stronger. But do you really think you're strong enough to be a challenge, huh. Alright then, after this mission, I'll see how much you changed. Challenge accepted."

"You're on! I can take on anything that you throw at me."

"The problem is that Gray has been kidnapped which now changes the whole mission. I am going to need to gather a small team to help me stop Eisenwald plot and help me retrieve some of our guild mates."

"I would also like to come and help save my team mates," Levy announced, shocking the whole guild.

Before the letter mage could also vocalize her support, Mira brushed past her and walked up to Erza. She smirked as she looked her over from top to bottom, then bottom to top, one hand studiously under her chin as the other crossed her chest. "Hmmm..." she began as they finally made eye contact. "I think you better leave this job to me and a team."

The guild let out another surprised gasp, hushed murmuring rising up once again. This time, the awe was lost on Lucy, as she was unclear with what the big deal was. "What's so strange with Mira offering to go in Erza's place?" she whispered to Cana.

"Mira rarely leaves the guild for stuff like this," she explained softly. "She's an S-Class Wizard like Erza, and she might be just as powerful, but she hardly ever goes on jobs that would demand the use of her Take Over Magic."

"How come?"

Cana was unable to respond, as Erza smiled confidently in the face of the request. "I appreciate your concern, Mirajane, but believe me, I'm fine -"

The white-haired woman cut her off, chuckling as she shook her head. "I figured you wouldn't admit to being exhausted. You just fought a rhinocerox - surely that was for an S-Class mission, right? - and dragged its horn back from whatever town you came from. You're in no condition to be going after an entire Dark Guild, Erza, even with back-up like Levy and Natsu," Mira assessed.

"I was planning on taking the night to rest and leaving tomorrow," Erza countered. Despite remaining of strong posture, Lucy found her appearing somewhat vulnerable for the first time since arriving.

"And by then, who knows what Erigor could've accomplished with that spell?" Mira continued to press. "Elfman, Levy, Lucy and I could set out within the hour to stop him. Natsu will come with us, too, of course. Just tell us where you came across those Eisenwald wizards, and we'll take care of the rest."

"Are you sure that you're up for this yourself?" Erza asked, beginning to show signs of consideration for Mira's proposal. "This is a serious situation, so you should know there's no way you could avoid the battlefield if you go."

Mira had the slightest pause, taking in the meaning of Erza's comment before chuckling once more. "You know that's hardly a concern for someone like me."

Erza frowned tensely at Mira for several seconds, before she gave in with a sigh. "Those wizards were in Onibus," she conceded, self-disappointment evident on her face. "I have no idea whether or not they're still there, but it's also where I'd start looking for them."

Mira smiled as she looked behind her at Elfman, Levy, and Natsu, retaining some of her signature edge, but also seeming warmer than usual. "Don't worry, Erza. We'll make you proud."

"I truly hope that you all are okay. They are nothing like the dark guilds that we have encountered before."

* * *

After Erza finished giving Mira and the others the rest of the details she knew of, Mirajane headed towards the guild board on the second board, after recalling a mission that sounded familiar just come in. It turned out that there was a S-class mission that was from the magic council which was about stopping a dark guild from using Lullaby.

"Since we're pretty much in the dark over what Eisenwald's planning to do with Lullaby, it'd be smart to get some supplies in case we need to be gone for awhile," Mira instructed. Elfman, Levy, Natsu and Happy surrounded her and nodded accordingly, as Lucy, Erza and Cana watched on from their table. The eldest of the Strauss family gazed over at them, and took a seat on the corner of the table, smirking as she playfully kicked her legs out.

So what do you think they're planning?" Levy asked the senior mage.

"I found out about this on the way back from my job," Erza said. "I stopped by a bar in Onibus, a gathering spot for wizards. I overheard a group of wizards complaining about a seal on Lullaby. One of them named Kage said he will have the seal removed in three days for Erigor."

"You're positive they were Eisenwald?" Elfman asked.

Erza pounded her fist on her lap. "I was, and I should have recognized them sooner, otherwise this could have been done faster. Erigor is the name of the ace and current master of Eisenwald; that should have been a clue."

"Erigor the Reaper," Mirajane scowled. "The man famous for all the assassination jobs he has completed. However, when the council outlawed accepting such missions, Eisenwald refused in greed, and was removed from the league six years prior with the previous master arrested."

"But they still continue to function, as a dark guild." Growled Mira. Levy gulped. "This is becoming more serious by the minute. So you plan on taking down Eisenwald with us, to stop that mission."

"Yeah," Mira stated coldly. "I failed to stop them when I heard about it. I'm not enough to take on an entire guild by myself, so I need you guy's help to end this, before they unleash Lullaby."

"Guess we're storming their guildhall." Elfman smirked. Natsu cheered in agreement about the excitement of battle. Lucy was not excited about this fact and was a little concerned about it, that she decided to tell them everything that she knew.

"It turns out that I have done some research on Eisenwald and Lullaby which might be vital for the mission," Lucy addressed as she began informing everyone of the mission. She told Erza and Mirajane every thing that her spirits had informed her and what she researched. She mentioned everything that happened to them yesterday when they fought those wizard and about the mage known as Jacob.

"The good thing is that there is no demon slayer that could possibly break the seal on lullaby unless they work with Eisenwald," Lucy declared.

"About that... I guess you don't know this but Gray is a demon slayer which means that the race to stop Eisenwald is fast."

"If what you say is true, then it's possible that they are trying to kill everyone in Onibus or something much worse. I feel like I am responsible for some of this and that is why I wish to help you all. I'm going to try tracking down the flute and rescue the boys while you fight against the guild," Erza proposed.

"That's a good idea Erza but who is gong to watch the guild?"

"I can help make a tracker card to help find the boys and I can watch over the guild," Cana stepped up. It took her a while but Erza finally decided that she would have the permission to watch over the guild.

"Everyone, you should go home and get ready. Lucy, you are invited to come along. That is, if you wanna come with us."

It took a second for her to realize she was the one being addressed. "Me?" she asked, taken aback. "You want me to go along with you, to fight a Dark Guild?"

"After what I've heard, I wanna see you in action," Mira smiled at her, in the manner that typically determined things go her way. "Don't worry, none of us will let any of those Eisenwald losers get near you. So, are you in?"

Lucy turned to Cana beside her, who gave her an encouraging nod as she sipped from her mug. "You know you want to."

Looking at the rest of the team, they each backed Mira's invitation. Levy's sweet smile, Natsu's adventurous smirk, and even Elfman's permanent frown all extended a welcome to their task. With all that support, she felt it'd be impossible to decline.

Half an hour later, after the six had left the guild hall for their living spaces to collect their belongings, Lucy entered Magnolia Station, wheeling her small suitcase behind her. She figured to be the first person to arrive, since her apartment wasn't very far from the station, but was glad to spot one of her own already there, leaning against a terminal pillar with arms crossed.

"Hey, Elfman," she said in a friendly tone, speaking to the Strauss brother alone for the first time. She then noticed there was no bag slung on his shoulders, or resting at his feet. "Didn't you prepare anything for the trip?"

"I've already got everything I need," he replied gruffly, tightening his right hand into a fist.

"Alrighty," she said, looking down at the toes of her boots. She wasn't exactly sure what to say to the large, imposing man. It wasn't that she was intimidated beyond being able to speak to him, she just didn't know how to properly socialize with him. She pulled out a Silver Key from her ring, and summoned Plue into her arms. The white dog shivered uncontrollably as she hugged him and rested her chin on his head, thinking of how she could get some conversation going. "So, Cana said that Mira doesn't go out and take jobs like this very often. Why's that?"

Elfman stiffened even more. Even though he appeared to refuse looking at her, she could see his eyes turn cold. "It's not a story any of us like to tell."

"Oh." Lucy regretted her poor question immediately.

"Elfman! Lucy!" Levy called as she, Erza and Mira walked into the station. The two carried with them packs, with Mira's looking far more stuffed than the solid script mage. Meanwhile Lucy was beyond amazed with the humongous amount of luggage that Erza brought with her.

"Have Natsu and Happy made it yet?" Erza asked as they reached the terminal.

"Not yet," Lucy replied as she let her take Plue for a moment. "How far away do they live from here?"

"They're closer to the station than we are at Fairy Hills," Mira answered, grinning. "Natsu's probably stalling until the last second. Just being around all these vehicles can get to him, so he'll want to spend as little time as possible on the train.

Natsu eventually arrived at the train station with Happy flying towards him.

When it was announced over the intercom that the Onibus Train would be departing in five minutes, Mira lead them inside, picking out their spots in the third cart, near the back. As the whistle began to blow in preparation, a queasy Natsu dropped into the seats across the walkway as Happy flew over to Mirajane to talk to Plue.

"Glad you made it," Mira commented as the train's machinations began to put it in motion.

"Can't say the same," he muttered through bloated cheeks.

"It's just a short trip," Happy reminded him, Plue nodding along. "We'll get there in no time. Then, we'll have a whole Dark Guild to beat up on!"

* * *

Natsu was moaning in discomfort on the train. Happy, Levy and Elfman were sitting next to him, while Erza, Lucy and Mira rested on the opposite seats.

"Talk about not being manly." Elfman scoffed

"This must make traveling place to place difficult," Lucy said with worry. "I know this happens often, but it still looks painful."

"Do not worry," Happy consoled. "Once the train has stopped, he will be back on his feet."

Erza snapped her fingers. "I think I know how to handle this. Lucy, could you switch seats with Natsu for a bit." Lucy complied and move over as Natsu struggled to reach the other side.

"I just need you to relax." Unexpectedly, she was about to punched the dragon slayer in the gut, in order to knock him unconscious, when someone stopped her.

"Erza don't even try to do that. I have a much easier way to help Natsu that doesn't stop him from having pain in being punched in the gut," Mirajane told her. Mira then took out her hand and tiny little bubbles hit Natsu in the head, causing him to fall asleep.

"There, now the trip will be easier for everyone."

As the train stop at another train station and departed once more, Lucy decided to break the ice and ask about Erza. She didn't know her mush and nothing about her magic either. In the meantime, Plue was eating a carrot. The others were eating sandwiches while Erza ate a slice of strawberry cake.

"If it's not rude to ask, what kind of magic do you use, Erza?" Lucy asked calmly.

Before Erza could speak, Happy jumped in. "Witnessing Erza's magic is a beautiful experience; the canvas of the battlefield is painted with the blood of her victims."

"That's...an interesting metaphor." Lucy replied nervously, now concerned for her life.

"I don't know about beautiful," Erza smiled. "I use a type of magic known as Ex-quip, often referred to as requip. This type of magic falls under the caster classification meaning it expels from the body as opposed to Magic done through the use of a weapon or outside source. My type of Ex-quip allows me to summon armors and weapons with special properties."

"Wow!" gasped Lucy. That sounded pretty impressive. "What about you Mirajane? I don't think I ever asked what kind of magic you use."

"Well I use Take Over magic, which like Erza is also a caster type. It allows me to "take over" the power or body of an entity and use it to fight. My magic allows me to transform into demons and hybrid-demons forms, its name is Demon Soul."

"A rather high level of Take Over one at that." Erza added.

"I might as well divulge mine, saving us both time of you asking." Elfman said as he straightened up in his seat from the other side. "Well I use Take Over magic similar to Mira. It allows me to "take over" the power or body of an entity and use it to fight. My magic allows me to transform into monsters and hybrid-beasts forms, its name is Monster Soul."

"A rather high level of Take Over one at that." Mirajane added as Elfman sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"I still have a long way to go before I can use it to its full potential." Elfman added to which Mirajane shook her head.

"But I know that Levy's magic is rather interesting to look at."

"I must agree with that statement. To be able to create whatever you want by just writing the words must be amazing," Mira exclaimed.

"Aah excuse me, sorry to interrupt." The speaker was a young man of average height and weight with black eyes and black hair which he ties in a short, spiky ponytail. He was wearing a white shirt with a high collar and an intricate symbol on its back over a plain, dark red undershirt. He was also wearing a pair of aquamarine pants, black shoes and small black earrings in each ear.

"You guys are from Fairy Tail are you not?"

"Aah, yes, we are, hello," Levy greeted him, ever friendly.

"As I thought, the rumors are true and are you Mirajane Strauss?"

"Yes I am Mirajane but what do you want," Mira scowled at him.

The man seemed to swoon. "Yes, I've seen you in the magazines sometimes. So beautiful. It's one of the things you always hear about Fairy Tail. I envy your guild. My guild doesn't have many girls like you." He then looked at Lucy with a freaky smile that made her quite uncomfortable. "How about some of you come to my guild? I promise that myself and my fellow guild members would treat you nicely."

"We're not interested." Erza's intense and sharp gaze caused him to stumble back and latch onto something soft. He turned to face an unamused Mirajane.

Mira then began to pour magic into her right arm allowing it to transform into a purple claw before she grabbed the man by his throat and slammed him into the wall. "Don't ever say shit like that to me. Now get the hell out of here" Mira then noticed that something strange was in his bag as she sensed demonic energy radiating towards her.

"You have Lullaby don't you," Mirajane asked, as she watched him smirked at her as she saw a three eyes wooden flute that looked to almost be falling out of his bag. She tried to stop him, but he vanished into the shadow quickly as she tried to slash him with her demonic claw.

"A three eyed skull?" Mirajane faintly responded.

"What kind of flute is it?" Levy wondered.

"That's creepy." Lucy interjected.

Finally, the group made to their destination, Onibus station and disembarks from the train. As they train was getting ready to leave and their luggage in their possession, Natsu asked while they were walking, "Are the Eisenwald guys still in town?"

"I don't know." Erza replied concerned. "That's what we're about to find out."

"It's going to be a wild goose chase…" Lucy admitted.

"It turns out that creepy pervert on the train has the Lullaby flute which mean that they should be in the area to meet up with him. All we need to do is figure out there hideout and sneak into it so we can rescue our guild mates and stop this dark guild," Mirajane announced.

* * *

So we're finally at the point where things are starting to get really different. Obviously, Mira teaming up with Erza (no pun intended) and bringing Elfman with her, and Natsu, Levy and Lucy, to battle it out with Eisenwald being the foremost example. Another huge change is that Jacob from the Alvarez Arc has appeared early on and is working with Eisenwald as well as a few guild members being abducted by a dark guild.

If you're reading this fic, whether from the start or just now picking it up, you should know you rule - even more so if you drop a review to tell me how I'm doing. Every bit of motivation helps! Every ounce of your opinion helps me make this story better. So please drop a review if you have any suggestions or things that you don't like or like about the story. Thanks, and stay tuned!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Eisenwald

 **Ah, there's nothing more pleasing than a new chapter. Can you hear it?**

 **Lucy: Hear what?**

 **The new chapter, it is a miracle of writing.**

 **Natsu:...It's official, he's lost it.**

 **Well excuse me for making the intro interesting. Before we enter the next scene, I like to thank ReadtheBooks and AkumaNisshoku for their reviews. And I like to thank Redder45 and ReadtheBooks for following and favoriting a Stronger Tail.**

 **Anyway guys, thanks for your reviews, and if you haven't already, leave some, feedback is encouraging. Compliments and criticisms help me grow. flames will just put out, and those that write them will have their souls shredded by Mira. Mu ha ha!**

 **...Sorry, did that seem too evil.**

 **Lucy: It was very cruel.**

 **I'll stop then.**

* * *

 **Anyway now, here's the second chapter for the Lullaby arc, and it's disclaimer time. Erza?**

 **Erza: Of course. Grassfire101 does not the right to Fairy Tail.**

 **Warning: Extreme Violence present.**

* * *

The first step of the plan they had devised on the train would see Natsu and Elfman enter the bar the Eisenwald mages had been hanging out at. "When a guild has its legality revoked by the Magic Council, they order the hallsto be vacated," Mira had explained. "That generally doesn't stop its members from using it as a base of operations, but no vendor would be caught dead selling to them. That means they have to come to pubs like this to get their fill of alcohol, and since this one is so popular with traveling wizards, it'd be pretty easy for nondescript Dark Guild wizards to blend in. We're sure to run into someone here who'd be of use to us."

The boys went in after Natsu got over his illness, while Happy and the girls waited across the street, watching for a signal as they played the roles of shoppers checking the outside vendors. Not two minutes after walking in through the doors, they followed a group of three men right out, as discreetly as Fairy Tail members could manage.

"How could they not have my favorite drink?!" Elfman bellowed as an excuse for their immediate departure, raising his fists over his head.

"Those jerks!" Natsu yelled with him, spouting flames from his mouth. The trio of men they were tailing briefly turned around to acknowledge the loud, overdramatic pair, but otherwise went about their own business.

The boys crossed the street and rejoined the others, keeping an eye on their targets as they walked down the block. "One of those guys mentioned Lullaby and got elbowed to keep his mouth shut," Elfman reported. "They have to be from Eisenwald."

"They should heading back to their guild hall, right?" Lucy asked. Mira had said that assassination guilds, before having been outlawed, kept the locations of their halls a secret from the public. Only members and the Magic Council were privy to that information, so anyone with a killing request had to float it along at seedy taverns before being contacted by the guild. "If we follow them, they might lead us straight there."

"I'm on it," Lucy announced as she took one of her silver keys out. Lucy noticed the others forming a tight circle around her to shield her from view, and stepped up to summon her spirit. "Open, gate of the Fly Constellation, Musca!" Lucy began pouring magical energy into the key as she opened the gate from the spirit world to there location. A tiny little bug then emerged and it stared at Lucy, waiting for instructions.

"Musca, I need you to tail those guys and come back with all the information that they have," Lucy asked. She then watched as the little fly flew off toward the group of males.

"So am I allowed to talk about Kage now, Rayule?" the tallest of the bunch, with dark hair and whiskers on his face, asked irritably as Musca caught up to them, staying one step behind and to the left of the group.

"As long as you don't go tellin' the whole world like those two idiots back there, you can say whatever you want, Byard," Rayule, a man wearing a yellow and black hood answered, just as peeved.

"You know as well as I do that Kage's finished unsealing Lullaby by now," Byard complained in a low voice, taking the hint. "I don't care how forbidden that magic's supposed to be, it doesn't take three days for a dispeller of Kage's skill to get it done. He's just using that as an excuse to take some time to slack off in a nice city."

"Well, we are gonna be pretty busy once we get the plan underway," the third man, short and ball-shaped, said nervously with a shrug. "It'd be nice to relax for a little bit before we start killing people with that freaky flute."

"Karacka! Shut it!" Rayule said, turning to glare at his partner, who wilted even more. He sighed at his fellow guild members' tendency to say inappropriate things aloud before replying. "It doesn't matter what Kageyama's doing down in Magnolia. As long as he returns Lullaby with its seal broken tomorrow like he promised, Erigor can proceed as planned. We'll stage the assault on the train station, leaving him free and clear to get to Clover undetected. After that, we'll have turned the entire magical world on its head."

She then heard a low buzzing sound come from over her shoulder where she saw the little Musca's flying towards her. They began to buzz something to which Lucy could understand as to what they were telling her.

"They're gonna attack the train station tomorrow," she said as she translated what Musca told her. "The way the guy said it, he made it sound like it could be a diversion for Erigor, because he's supposed to be heading for Clover."

"Clover?" Mira repeated, frowning. "That's where the Guild Masters hold their meetings."

"And Gramps and the others are in one right now," Natsu growled.

"You don't think... they're the targets?" Levy asked with unease.

"If they wanted to make a statement, going after the Guild Masters is sure to get attention," Elfman surmised.

"One of them let slip that Lullaby was a killing flute," Lucy added gravely. "Magic like that, it makes sense an assassination guild would want it."

"I'm gonna keep an eye on them," Happy said, sprouting his wings. "We can't let these guys get away. I'll follow them and let you know where it is they're going. Maybe their guild's somewhere outside of town."

"Go for it, little buddy," Natsu commended with a smirk and a thumbs-up. "We're not gonna let these punks get to tomorrow, 'cause we're stopping 'em today."

"Musca accompany Happy and keep tailing those men,' Lucy commanded.

As it turned out, the Eisenwald wizards were heading towards the train station. Happy at first was afraid of what they might be doing, but it seemed that they were simply waiting to board a train. He flew back to the team with the news, who quickly set out to make that same ride. Natsu lost some of the fire in his belly as they barely managed to climb into the last cart in the line before departing.

"Lullaby... a killing flute..." Levy had been mulling the information over since Lucy mentioned it. "I read a book once where the antagonist who was trying to take over the world, had a wooden flute as his weapon, with a three-eyed skull for a head that put anyone that heard its song into an eternal sleep. It was supposed to have been carved by the Black Wizard Zeref, but I thought the writer was just using that for flair. It might be a lot truer than anyone would've thought, though."

"That must be what they're up to, then," Mira said, her eyes low. "Erigor will take Lullaby to the Guild Masters and kill them all, without them ever having suspected a thing. Doing so would send the whole kingdom into total chaos."

"Your book had a happy ending, right, Levy?" Happy asked from her lap. Since Lucy sent Musca, who was incognito with how undetectable it was, it had moved up to the same cart as the Eisenwald members to keep tabs on them.

"Well, yeah. Bad guys don't usually win in books," she replied. "If we stop Erigor now, do you think this Kageyama guy will try to finish the job on his own? We're taking a risk here in leaving him out there in possession of Lullaby."

"Erigor is the guild master of Eisenwald after their leader got murdered," Mira answered. "Keeping Lullaby out of his hands is our biggest concern. However, we need to be weary of Jacob the Transporter of Death. I've heard that he has more magic power than all of them. If Kageyama is on the move, he wouldn't know that we trashed his guild unless someone with a powerful sort of communications magic gave him a heads-up. Once we're in Oshibana, I'll get us a lacrima and fill Master in with the details. He'll make sure that we won't have to worry about the assasination."

A few minutes later, the train made a stop at the supplies port of Kunugi Station. When Musca didn't reappear to let them know they'd arrived at their destination, they stayed put on the train, Musca eventually returned back to them, telling them that they met with Kageyama.

Allowing a modest distance to avoid suspicion, the Fairy Tail wizards kept them in their sights until they crossed into a residential district. Without a crowd to mingle in, the team once again had to rely on Happy and Muca to document their tracks from the sky. This gave Mira the opportunity to purchase a communications lacrima to send a letter to the guild masters.

"Hey Erza, after we stop Eisenwald, can we have a rematch?"

"If we defeat Eisenwald, then I'll give you that rematch, rest assured."

"Natsu wants to fight Erza?!" Lucy asked, stupefied. Had the boy lost his mind? Earlier he had displayed the good sense to be fearful of Erza's power, but now he was challenging her?

"Only a real man would have the guts to face off against the strongest woman in Fairy Tail," Elfman said, crossing his arms in approval.

"Or a real idiot," Levy sighed, but smiled regardless.

Lucy listened to Natsu hype himself up about how it was his time to beat Erza after having his butt kicked for years. It had been close to half an hour since Happy's departure, and Lucy could see that Natsu appeared to have no shortage of confidence in his best friend, remaining wired about their upcoming confrontation.

"You guys!" a squeaky voice called from above. Happy eased into a hover before his wings disappeared, dropping onto Natsu's hair. "I know where Eisenwald's guild hall is!"

* * *

Within Clover Town, the guild masters were having their regular conference.

"I'm so jealous Makarov-chan," A fat, bald wizard wearing a dress said. "Your guild is so full of life and have many cuties. I've already heard of that new girl who showed that duke who's boss."

"Oh, you must be talking about Lucy," Makarov replied. He and Bob were sitting at a table for lunch with two other wizards. "She's our newest recruit, and she's bright as a bulb."

Bob chuckled. "I wouldn't joke so easily if I was you, Makarov." Another man at the table said. He wore black clothing and oddly enough a dog collar. "Your wizards may be spirited, but they're destructive."

"Hate to agree with the overgrown puppy, but he's right." Said the fourth member, a short old lady with her hair in a large bun. "I heard the council is afraid that your brats will end up destroying a town."

"Ah, let those blowhards worry," Makarov chuckled. "They're just jealous of how much stronger my children are, and how much sexier they are."

"Oh Makarov-chan," Bob joked. "You shouldn't talk about your children that way, you scoundrel."

"Keep your perverted thoughts to yourself," Ooba added. "Or you'll be getting a spin." She finished with a circular movement of her hand.

"Mail!" The four wizards turned and saw a bird with a wizard hat carrying a letter. "One letter for a Makarov Dreyar from a Mirajane." It dropped the letter in the short man's hand before flying off. "Ah, thank you." Makarov said as he drew a circle around the seal. The seal glowed and a small holographic image of Mirajane rested on the letter. "Hi master," The message said. "I'm glad you made it to the conference safe and sound."

"See that," Makarov showed the hologram around to the other masters. "This is Mirajane, one of our eye candies. Take a good look." A lot of the male guild masters agreed to his claim.

"Oh, by the way, master," The message continued. "You're not going to believe this. Erza, Levy, Elfman, Happy, Natsu, Lucy and I have joined up together." She continued to grin, while Makarov began stuttering with fear. "We'll be a force to be reckon with, huh, the strongest team ever. I didn't want to bother you, but I need to warn you that the Eisenwald guild is planning an assassination attempt on all of your life with a demonic flute, so be safe. We are trying to stop them at the moment. See you soon master." The message faded away.

"A dark guild is going to be planning an assassination attempt on us," Banaboster, the Master of Twilight Ogre exclaimed. This caused a few guild masters to begin panicking.

"We need to set up a defense and defeat that dark guild," Jose, the guild master of Phantom Lord announced, rallying some of the guild master.

"Mirajane," Makarov stuttered. "Erza, Elfman, and Natsu. Four of my most destructive brats, in one team. Forget a town, they'll end up destroying an entire city!" He fainted in the shock.

"Oh my." Bob said with worry.

"Guess the council really does have a reason to worry." Goldmine stated.

"Do you think we need to spin him awake?" Ooba asked.

"I hope this meeting will end soon. I need to get home fast before something crazy happens", Makarov thought.

* * *

The team lauded his efforts, and had him and Pyxis, who Lucy summoned to point the way there. Happy explained that wizards had traveled outside of Oshibana Town, entering the neighboring woods. Unlike the verdant forest by Magnolia, the trees he lead them through were decayed and gaunt, their leafless branches eerily reaching out to spread their misery. Even the sky seemed to lose its luster, as Lucy didn't remember it being so heavily clouded before they'd started their march.

"You're sure this is the right way?" she asked, a little more than creeped out at her surroundings. She could swear something had been peeking out at her through a shadowy hole in a tree.

"Of course," Happy replied happily. "A cat's sense of direction is never wrong."

Lucy didn't put full faith in that statement, but on this occasion, Happy couldn't be proved wrong. They walked for a little over fifteen minutes before they reached a worn path leading to a gray brick building, which he confirmed as the Eisenwald guild hall. With a jubilant war cry, Natsu began a charge for the rest of the way, but didn't make it three steps in front of him. Mirajane had snatched at the boy's scale-patterned scarf, easily holding him in place with one hand as he struggled against her grip.

"Now, now, Natsu," she said sweetly. "I think it'd be best if we all went in together as a team. Does that sound okay to you?"

Natsu ceased fighting and turned to face her, as she let go of his scarf. Mirajane was giving him the infamous smirk that had made blood run cold before her modeling days, and Elfman made him the subject of the stony gaze that petrified those that stood against him. Erza gave him a fearsome gaze that almost made him run away in fear as he reminded of his next fight with her It was all the incentive he needed.

"Yeah, alright," he conceded.

"We need to work together as a team and rescue our guildmates okay," Erza announced.

Natsu looked to the Strauss family and Happy with a grin, who nodded in agreement. The four turned to Lucy, as the Levy winked at her to play along. They all began to rush forward past Natsu, who was quick on the uptake. It wasn't long before he made it to the head of the pack, directing them straight to Eisenwald's doors.

* * *

"In less than twenty-four hours, this kingdom will come to understand," the tattooed man at the center of the room declared to the crowd amassing around him. His silver hair swayed as he turned about, so all could see his proud smirk. He lifted the scythe in his right arm, and swung it down to almost cleave one of his own men. "We will make this kingdom understand loss!"

"That's right, Erigor!" the guild of thirty or so men hollered in admiration.

"We had our livelihoods stripped away from us! We were branded outlaws because of the way we'd chosen to support ourselves! We were barred from walking down streets as free men, and so now, we will litter those same streets with the ignorant that made it happen!" Erigor continued. "The Guild Masters that opposed our work will drop like flies when they hear Lullaby's grim melody!"

He paused to let the crowd cheer, raucously throwing up their arms.

"Following them will be the people who thought they no longer had to fear assassination guilds! They were so relieved for themselves, that they forgot what it meant for us! The same rights they enjoy and celebrate exclude us, making us unequal in the eyes of the world!" Erigor growled furiously, before cracking a grin. "But those people will be the cobblestones on the trail we pave, as we play our way to the Magic Council! The nine who unanimously decreed us as scum will be the last to understand! Their hubris won't allow them to fathom our message, until we are before their very eyes! Then, and only then, will they finally realize, as those same eyes that looked down on us slowly close for the very last time, that no corpse stands taller than the rest!"

The Eisenwald members' ovation continued, loving the picture Erigor had painted in their minds. At that moment, they began to feel invincible, and the time of action was still a day away.

When the noise began to die down, a slow clap was made audible. The men quieted even faster, locating the source of the clapping at the front of the hall. A group of seven, four females and two males, along with a blue cat, stood at the entrance. The woman in the middle was the one with the mocking show of support, her face displaying amusement at what the group had overheard.

"So that's your big plan?" she said condescendingly, beginning to walk forward. The others began to move up as well, but kept her at the forefront. "It's rather simple, don't you think? Well, there's a chance it might've worked if Lullaby's as powerful as you believe it is, but I guess you'll never know."

"And just who do you think are, entering the hall of Eisenwald?" Erigor asked as his circle parted, allowing him to get closer and see the intruders face to face.

Mira snickered, angling her body to display the white guild mark on the side of her left thigh. "The ones that're gonna stop you, obviously. Your guild mates really should be a little more careful about what they say; you never know who might be listening in."

Erigor leered at the symbol, then began to cackle, filling the grand room with a slight echo of hostility. "Six flies from Fairy Tail," he spat, slamming the butt of his scythe into the floor. "Tell me, do you really expect that such a pitiful number would be able to storm into my guild and take us down?"

Now it was Natsu that stepped ahead of Mirajane. "If you've heard of our guild, then you've probably heard of the damage we can cause on accident," he said, his smirk becoming almost too big for his face. "Now what do you think we're capable of when we actually put our minds to it?"

The whiskered Eisenwald mage shrugged through the crowd and stood beside his leader. "Don't you know exactly what we specialize in?" Karaka demanded.

Another of Erigor's cronies walked up, wriggling his black-banded fingers. "We kill for a living. Six of you against seventy of us? You just walked into a slaughterhouse," Rayule grinned smugly.

"I cant' wait to slaughter some fairies," Kageyama announced.

Elfman threw off his jacket, leaving his muscular arms bare in a sleeveless shirt. "A real man likes those numbers," his deep voice boomed as he balled his right hand. "The more there are of you, the more bones there are for me to break."

Erigor laughed once again, his body suddenly lifting weightlessly into the air. Suspended in place, he crisscrossed his legs as if sitting, laying his scythe across his lap as he sneered down at the team.

"How's he doing that?" Lucy asked, jarred by the magic. She had never seen anyone completely resist gravity like that, without any sort of apparent assistance.

"Wind Magic," Happy answered. It was barely noticeable, but he could feel a breeze tickling through his fur. That, and he'd also overheard the wizards he'd tracked speak of the man's powers. "He's manipulating the air around him to fly."

His body vanished as wind swept over him, leaving only his guildmates to ominously encroach on the Fairy Tail wizards' position. Lucy instinctively sent a hand down to her key ring, wondering if they really would make it out of this situation. Even with her as the weakest link, they were still a very powerful assembly, but this was an entire faction of assassins they were facing.

"Elfman, Natsu, Levy and Erza," Mira instructed, "I want you to go after Erigor. Find wherever he's decided to hide and take him out. It will be fine; Lucy and I are more than enough to handle these grunts." The eldest Strauss stated confidently.

"What?!"We are?" Lucy asked in meek surprise, seeing as they were now even more outnumbered than they would have been with the rest of the group. The rest of her friends didn't seem to calculate the unfavorable odds Mira had just set for them, as they nodded accordingly.

"You got it," Natsu smiled, revving his engines (figuratively; he couldn't afford to get motion-sick right now).

The three Eisenwald members that had spoken up with Erigor suddenly made it to the second floor before Natsu and the others could begin their search. Kageyama used twin dark beams from his fists striking the ground to launch himself up, while the bands around Rayule's fingers snapped to the rafters like vines to swing him to the railing.

"It wouldn't be very fun if you were beaten before I could get my shots in," Karaka said. "If any of you wanna go at it one-on-one, why don't you follow me?"

"I'll invite you to the same," Rayule smirked, retracting his bands. "It's been a long time since I've gotten the chance to take out a wizard from a legal guild."

"You guys can have these two," Natsu addressed Levy and Elfman, embers flickering around his mouth. "I want Kageyama."

Levy's lips curved into a smirk, resembling the one that Mirajane often gave. "Sounds good to me," she said, her selection clear as she began to walk up the left staircase where Rayule disappeared into a room at the end of the hallway.

Elfman cracked his knuckles, his frow burrowed as he ascended the right stairway. "I've never gotten the chance to take out a wizard from a Dark Guild," he said, locking gazes with Karaka as he too entered a separate chamber. "Only a real man gets to make the most of this opportunity. Which one of us is it gonna be?"

Happy activated his Aera Magic, and grabbed Natsu by the scruff of his vest. Happy then flew Natsu to where Kageyama was.

Erza then requipped into her Flight Armor and began to run after Erigor. "I will stop this man and save my family."

Now Lucy was left with Mira, staring into a sea of hungry, violent eyes as the tide flowed in. She wanted to shrink back in nervousness, but was given a pure, supportive smile from the woman beside her. The idol, live off the pages of her favorite magazine, instilled in her courage, and Lucy knew she couldn't disappoint. There was many lives depending on their victory, including Master Makarov's and their own. It was time to go all in.

* * *

"I recognize that woman! That's Mirajane!"

"Yeah, you're right, Byrd! That's the bikini girl!" Murmurs of agreement went around, and even a few whistles were directed towards Mira as she crossed her arms and slowly stepped closer. Lucy might've tried to stop her, but she had a feeling she knew what she was doing.

"Stop right there!" A wizard bemoaned, no authority in his trembling voice. "Don't you idiots read the columns, too? She's not just a model, she's an S-Class Wizard! The She-Devil!"

The forgotten nickname immediately registered in Lucy's mind. She remembered Mira being referred to as such when she first began appearing in Sorcerer Weekly, thanks to her signature Take Over style, Demon Soul. When her swimsuit spreads became their hottest attraction, however, the publishers phased the moniker into obscurity.

"It's been a long time since I've been called that. I never liked it much," Mira chuckled with her head low, her white bangs shadowing her eyes. "Satan Soul."

"Besides," She began as a dark aura engulfed her and quickly dissipated, she had undergone a drastic change. She now appeared to wear a somewhat-revealing, blood-red, one-piece swimsuit, her hands had now developed into 5-inch-long claws connected to armor-like skin, a stocky tail made of durable-looking scales had also emerged from her lower back. Her hair now permanently stood on end, her eyes remained blue but had lost all features, except for the pupils, and thin, crack-like scar appeared on her face, " I've been wanting to get some exercise for a while now!" She declared in a deeper voice as a pair of large, bat-like wings grew from her upper back,

Lucy stared in awe at Mirajane's transformation and the sheer power she was radiating gave the celestial wizard confidence though given the sheer number of Eisenwald mages, she was still fairly nervous about the potential outcome of the fight.

Shivering just as much as their enemies at Mira's Take Over, Lucy had to remind herself that she was on her side. Mira stopped her movements, smirking as she raised her right hand, pointing downward at the men who had lost all nerve. "

"You girls might be cute, but I don't appreciate you looking down on us." Byard said, charging up his magic that manifested as yellow light that encased his fists, "Let's get them!"

The large Eisenwald force charged toward Mira and Lucy, the former grinned smugly, forming a sphere of darkness between her palms, "Darkness Stream!" she shouted, her voice deep and twisted. Multiple beams of pure black shot outwards and closed as they closed towards the clumped group, the ends reaching out like claws just before blasting into them. Her attack easily almost halving their numbers. A scared silence fell over the remaining mages as they stopped in their tracks, clearly intimidated by her strength.

"Woah…" Lucy said in awe of her ally's strength, glad to have Mirajane on her side.

After the dust cleared, Lucy saw half of the opposing forces slumped at the bottom of a deep crater. "Are they...?"

"They're still alive," Mira assured her, walking to her. Lucy was relieved, and admittedly, a part of that was due to the fact that she had less people to fight. "I know it's funny to think after what you just saw but killing isn't in my nature."

"So, the power of the She-Devil is true," Byard stated, garnering the attention of the S-Class mage, "But let's see if you can take me on." He finished while making a goading gesture with his hands.

"Simple enough." Mira said with an amused smirk at the idea that he could withstand one of her attacks, aiming the palm of her hand at him, three large, black rings shot from her outstretched limb, "Dark Pulse."

"Holy Aura!" Byard declared, bringing his light-encased fists together, causing the light to envelope him in a spherical shape. Mirajane's attack harmlessly struck the shield, causing genuine surprise in the eldest Strauss, "You may be able to take control of demons, but the Darkness magic they utilize is easily snuffed out by my Light magic."

Mirajane clicked her tongue in annoyance, this one would be annoying to deal with but even if her Darkness magic couldn't affect him, she still had superior physical strength and if she was lucky, more experience in melee combat, "Lucy?" The She-Devil asked.

"Yeah?" The blonde asked in response.

"Keep the rest of these guys occupied, show me what your spirits can do, I'll help if you need it." Mira said, before Lucy could properly respond, she had already leapt at Byard.

Most of the remaining force turned to her, singling her out as an easy target, it was then that the reality of the situation dawned on her, "Well, shit." She swore, even if she rarely used such language, it summed up her current predicament quite nicely.

With a collective battle cry, her opponents ran at her in the belief that she alone wouldn't be enough to handle them, and in many ways, they were right. In a panic, Lucy grabbed her key ring and selected a key, "Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" Lucy summoned forth her newest spirit, who drilled up from beneath the ground. She continued to spin until landing on the ground, bowing obediently as the Eisenwald men stopped to watch the latest cute girl to join the picture.

"What is your desire, Princess?" Virgo asked, daintily holding her hands together as she awaited orders. Lucy looked at Virgo and realized that her outfit was different. She no longer wore her maid's outfit, instead she wore black shorts with a white lining to the seams and a top that was the same color. Her midriff, arms and any part of her leg below the top of her knees were exposed. On her hands and feet were wrappings typically seen being worn by martial artists. The maid outfit was clearly misleading as Virgo had a very athletic figure.

"I need you to take these guys out!" she commanded, not allowing her slight blush to affect her tone.

"As you wish." Virgo launched herself into the crowd, rushing towards the Eisenwald horde. Naturally, they assumed a woman clad in something that provided little in terms of defense would be easy to beat, they were wrong.

Before the spirit and her multitude of opponents clashed, she halted, bringing her arms up in a guard similar to that of a boxer. The first unlucky mage to rush her wasn't expecting it when she lashed out with kick to the gut hard enough to send him flying back and cut into the crowd, knocking over several of his comrades in the process.

Now that she had exhibited her physical strength, the others were more careful in their approach but nonetheless knew they would be doomed to fight her toe-to-toe. One mage tried his luck with a fire spell emitted from an oaken staff, yet Virgo disappeared into the ground as if sinking into some kind of fast-acting quicksand, the earth seemed to ripple like water before settling as if it had never been disturbed.

She jumped up and was whirling about like a top possessed. She thrashed them with her celestial strength, then extended the chains from her wrist shackles to widen her striking range. The men that had been tightly packed together dispersed, spreading themselves out to avoid being hit, screaming at each other to move and trampling over the bodies of their own guildmates in the process.

While it was enough to rattle the remaining mages, it wasn't enough for the ones targeting her to lose hope, soon mounting another charge.

"Hey, Princess, it might be better to summon someone else to fight with me." Virgo suggested.

"But-" Lucy began to speak up, until she realized that in a way, Virgo was right. At some point, she would need to start summoning multiple spirits eventually. Though, Aquarius required water to summon even if she wasn't on vacation with the boyfriend she had mentioned to Lucy numerous she was off the table and it was time that she tried summoning her silver keys to work alongside a Zodiac.

She was considering the idea of summoning Ursa Major, but she was asked by her to not be summoned until later that day. She wanted to use Fornax, but she felt that Fornax wouldn't be able to help fight against a huge army of men. Her best spirit to use would be Crater since he had a lot of potions that could act as far range spells

"Open, Gate of the Cup: Crater!" Lucy felt significant drain on her magic at summoning a Zodiac and a silver key in succession but still managed to remain standing. She was feeling drained and has now realized that she needed to spend some training her magic stamina. She wanted to try to use a partial summon but realized that the magic drain was a little too much.

"Hello, Princess Lucy," Crater said as he bowed to her.

"Crater, I need you to protect the princess while I take down these men," Virgo explained.

While the men were spreading themselves out, Crater took the initiative to throw down a potion which consisted of wind magic onto the ground. The potion the released a huge tornado that swept up some of the Eisenwald guild.

Virgo burst from the floor at the center of another group of idle wizards, sending more bodies flying with the move. Ending her spinning, she raised her arms, commanding the earth beneath their feet to rise around her, the slabs striking suddenly at her nearest foes. She caught Lucy's admiring eyes from across the room.

Confusion was evident among the wizards who hadn't yet been knocked down but given the immediate threat was currently gone, they returned their attention to Lucy and Crater. Finally deciding to coordinate themselves, those who primarily used melee weapons led a charge whilst those who possessed ranged magic stood back and began casting spells to fire in an arc formation in order to hit the pair.

"Potion Magic: Combined Attack Scald," Crater then took two potions, one was a potion for fire and another was water. He then threw both of them down onto the ground and Lucy watched as they began to form together to make steaming hot water that was striking the men. She then looked down in amazement to see that she was being protected by Crater who used his magic to protect her from the hot steam.

Before her was the Eisenwald force, yet the only way to describe their current situation was that they had sunk into the stone. Many were caught up to their waists with at least one arm partially trapped.

"What, happened?" Lucy asked.

"I did that." Virgo's voice responded as the maid spirit rose from the ground, "You see, Princess, I can manipulate the earth. I effectively liquidize the ground for brief periods of time, allowing me to pull off techniques such as being able to trap my opponents."

"Why didn't you do that to me?" Lucy asked.

Virgo's lip curled up at that, "Perceptive of you, Princess. The form Everlue kept me in, while suited to his preferences also gave me a far less subtle approach to combat. While I can hold my own, I'm arguably the weakest of the Zodiac, using my magic in conjunction with maintaining a form so different to my default maid appearance would have forced a gate closure and sent me back to the Celestial Spirit World hence why I didn't or rather couldn't use my earth manipulation abilities against you."

"I see." Lucy said, impressed that Virgo was good in both service and combat. However, despite their trapped state, the dark wizards still kept up a tirade of abuse and jeers aimed at the three.

Meanwhile, Mira lunged for Byard, a diagonal slash aiming to cut into him, regardless, Byard managed to avoid the attack, "Holy Fire!" The Eisenwald mage said, launching several balls of light at Mirajane with her enhanced reflexes, Mira was able to maneuver through the barrage. Yet even she could feel that the projectiles were off somehow as they nearly grazed her.

"That magic is quite specialized isn't it?" Mirajane noted.

"Noticed that, huh?" Byard responded, "This is more for making the undead, dead again but it's just as effective on the living like demonic demons like you." He continued, sending a stream of light at Mirajane.

"The undead? A vampire hunter?" Mirajane questioned in surprise as she launched her own stream that collided with Byard's which she was eventually forced to relent as his attacked pushed back her own.

"No, nothing as suicidal as that but if someone needs to make sure an enemy can't return from the dead or just go waltzing out of their crypt, I'm the guy for the job. Vampire hunters are still regulated by the council, stuck following rules when there are plenty of other threats across the continent. After our rights are restored, the council will be next, then justice can be exacted upon the undead and those who would seek to raise them."

"I wouldn't take you as a pious man." Mirajane sneered, diving towards Byard from her position above.

"And I'm not." He replied, throwing a light-infused fist as she got close and she countered with her own. Once their fists connected, both almost instantly recoiled before putting distance between each other.

"That's odd." Mirajane commented.

"What's odd about it?" He demanded angrily.

"Well, if you're really trained to do that, recite the prayer you say to yourself before a fight with the undead."

"Uh…" Byard started, beginning to scowl when Mirajane condescendingly smirked at him, "Oh yeah-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Mirajane interrupted, "Maybe you were once the apprentice to a paladin of sorts, but you never completed your training, if you had you would know there's no such vows you make. That also explains why your magic is so unrefined. Tell me, am I right?"

"And what does it matter to you?!" Byard demanded caustically, only becoming more annoyed at Mirajane's smug expression once she realized she was right.

"It matters to me because you're making a disgrace of people who actually do a noble job by using their magic to combat necromancers, liches and vampires, real terrors on society. In comparison to them, you're nothing but a poser boasting about his apparent skill in slaying the undead." Mirajane stated.

"What would you know about fighting those types of monsters?!" He roared in fury, charging straight at Mirajane.

"I know enough," Mira stated succinctly, avoiding the wild swings Byard was throwing with ease, "I know they're dangerous because I've fought one before, and unless you destroy the heart and the head, an undead adversary will undoubtably come back to bite you in the ass and that they're vulnerable to silver." She continued as she kept sidestepping every attack Byard made, which only served to add to his frustration, "I also know that losing your cool in a fight, especially against those kinds of creatures is the worst thing to do, the same applies to demons." She finished as Byard threw another punch, Mirajane twirled and swung her muscular tail straight into his torso. From the sound of things, a couple of Byard's ribs cracked, and the wind was driven out of him.

"You're afraid of them," She stated, upper cutting the man and with her enhanced strength, he was made airborne, "Rightly so, I suppose," She said, flying quickly up to his level and grabbing him by the shoulders, "But you have the potential to do good believe it or not, no matter what Erigor has been filling your head with." At that she flew down, still clutching her opponent and promptly smashed him into the stone floor.

Miraculously, Byard was still conscious, yet he dared not move as one set of Mirajane's claws were wrapped around his throat. The other was ready to strike him, "Do me a favor, will you?" Mira asked, she didn't wait for a verbal response as Byard's expression stated his confusion, "Reflect on everything that's happened. If you ran away from your duties, go back to them and if you just happened to pick up a book go find someone to help refine your use of that Dawn magic." The man's eyes widened briefly at her correct statement on what his magic truly was before Mirajane's rough-skinned hand hit him square in the voice, his vision went almost completely dark, Mira's final statement ringing in his ears before he finally slipped into unconsciousness.

Looking away from the downed mage, Mira saw the Eisenwald grunts caught in their unusual position as well as Lucy's two strange, new companions.

"Well, you've been busy Lucy." Mira said, her voice shifting to its usual tone as she changed back to normal. Shaking her head once as her hair fell back down from its raised position.

* * *

A small portal appeared in the hallway that Elfman followed, causing him to fall into it. The blinding light that had filled Elfman's vision as he was dragged through the portal dissipated, allowing the middle Strauss to see again as he found himself in a room lit by more torches. The light revealing a series of staircases as it reflected off metal cogs both great and small in size. The machinery still turned, powering the hands of the clockface.

"Welcome to Eisenwald clock tower," Karacka's voice rang out, causing Elfman to tense in preparation for what was to come, the heavyset man's top half appeared from a portal, "With my phasing magic I can strike from anywhere I want and with all the nooks and cranny's in this place, assassination is like child's play!"

"Then bring it on!" Elfman challenged, "If you think I'm scared you've got another thing coming!"

"You may not feel that way now, but by the end of this, you'll be begging for mercy." The Eisenwald member said, disappearing into his creation again. Elfman primed his Black Bull monster arm, looking around warily even if he couldn't see where his opponent would come from.

The glint of light reflecting off metal was the first thing to alert him, the second was the shooting pain in his beast arm. Despite the slight cut in it, the arm wasn't bleeding, at least not profusely. Elfman shot it forward to try and grab the Eisenwald mage but he quite literally slipped through his fingers, sporting a mocking grin that only further frustrated the middle Strauss. Even though it was only a flesh wound, the attack put Elfman on edge.

The next strike came shortly after, this time cutting into Elfman's leg, once again leaving a shallow cut. Just as before, Karacka simply phased through Elfman's grip and disappeared.

"Quit the circus act and fight me like a real man!" Elfman bellowed angrily.

"The best techniques are passed on by survivors, the way I fight isn't something for you to dictate. Face it, on this playing field you don't stand a chance." The Eisenwald member retorted. The take-over user's arm glowed again, prompting Karacka to leap into action once again, believing the transformation would make little difference. As he thrust the dagger forward however, there was a sudden burst of intense electricity, causing the dark mage to recoil and drop the knife, "What the-!"

Elfman's right arm was wreathed in lightning, smirking at having got the drop on Karacka. He opened his enclosed fist, causing the fire to dissipate and reveal the dramatic change the middle Strauss's arm had undergone. Light yellow feathers now covered the entirety of the arm, his nails had been replaced with black, three-inch claws and electricity still licked along the limb, "Monster Arm: Thunder bird." He stated, "Good luck getting close to me when I've got this out."

"Don't need to." Karacka replied condescendingly, Elfman raise an eyebrow in a confused expression before he felt it. His Beast Arm and left leg were beginning to feel heavy, forcing him to take a knee, "The poison on my dagger is quite effective, I used just enough so that it wouldn't do its work too quickly, soon you'll be completely paralyzed, and you won't be able to stop me driving my knife through your heart."

Elfman's frame began to shake and a low sound began emanating from the take-over user, "Scared already? You should be." Karacka said with smug satisfaction. That's when the sound Elfman was producing became louder, surprising the Eisenwald member as he realized his opponent was not shaking out of fear and choking back sobs, he was laughing.

"There's a lot of creatures with this kind of toxin living across Ishgar," Elfman stated, "Fiore though doesn't have any indigenous animals with it, the closest one I can guess, is the Bosco giant salamander." He continued, Karacka was visibly shocked by the spot-on deduction, even if it was partly a guess.

"You're actually right," Karacka said, regaining his composure, "So you know a thing or two about wildlife, am I supposed to be impressed?" He asked snidely.

"No, you should be scared though," Elfman retorted, "Shame I couldn't have Thunder bird out longer than I wanted to, but the situation requires it." Elfman's right arm glowed once more, changing from Thunder bird into yet another new form. The arm was now black and appeared slimy, complemented by a bright-green, striped reticulation that ended at his hand which had also changed so that the pinky and ring, as well as middle and index fingers had fused to create three digits, "Monster Arm: Salamander."

Karacka stumbled back, "That's-!"

"The arm a Bosco giant salamander and since I have its poison, my take-over magic can help my body produce an antivenom to it." With the statement, Karacka knew he had limited time before Elfman gained control of his arm and leg again. Grabbing the dagger, Karacka ran at the still-downed mage, not noticing that Elfman was beginning to inhale. The phasing magic user brought his arm back, aiming to slash the blade across Elfman's throat in a backhand. Before he could, Elfman exhaled a cloud of green mist.

Realizing what the mist was, Karacka tried to back away in a futile attempt to avoid the paralyzing toxins, flailing his arms wildly in desperation, trying to waft the vapor away. Caught up in his panic, he didn't realize just how close he was getting to the edge and as the ground disappeared from behind him, he fell back. Already the feeling in his arms was going, it would be utterly useless to try and grab the edge.

Fear gripped the criminal as he realized his demise was imminent, with the muscle relaxant-like nature of the poison he couldn't even scream. His eyes closed as he braced himself for the inevitable plummet into the clock's mechanism, yet his descent was halted almost as quickly as it had begun. Eyes snapping open again, he realized he was indeed suspended by one leg above the gears threatening to crush him. Over the methodical clicking of the cogs he could hear grunting and realized that only one other person could have caught him in time.

His perplexed state lasted until he was hoisted back onto the safety of the platform and splayed out like a starfish, then Elfman's voice spoke up.

"You're probably wondering, 'Why would I save you?'. You're a criminal specializing in assassination, blood is on your hands whether directly or complicit in your guild's actions. It would have been easy to let you fall, one less scumbag in the world at least, but the truth is I can't bring myself to take someone's life no matter how bad they are. I've already dealt with taking a life and that's a feeling that I wish to never experience again. Plus, I'd rather you face justice living out a sentence than get out of it the easy way through death." Elfman got up, beginning to walk away, "I can find the exit on my own, just stay there until the Rune Knights come because whether you like it or not this is the day your guild gets disbanded."

All Karacka could do was lay where he was, left with just his thoughts, staring at the ceiling.

* * *

Erza was sprinting towards him in her flight armor, the man known as Erigor who was currently holding the ancient demonic flute known as Lullaby.. It was something that she should have realized earlier, but if they could play that flute for the guild masters, it could somehow kill all of them in an instant.

She muttered to herself, "Requip: Thunder Empress Armor." In a few seconds, she searched through her requip space and found the armor and weapon that she wanted, and she grabbed it, watching as her armor began to change. The sword that she once held now faded into her requip space to be replaced with a spear that could shoot out lightning. She was actually thankful for the Heart Kruez company for creating such a practical armor for her which had power beyond even hers.

"Thunder Detonation," she muttered underneath her breath as she grabbed her spear as she began to cast a far range spell to hit the flying Erigor. She began to gather some of her magical energy into her weapon, sensing as her magic and the electricity in the spear began to mold together. The spear began to gather blue lightning that was being emitted from it and she fired it at the man, watching as the lightning rained down on the man, causing him to crash to the ground.

"Who the hell cast that thunder spell?" Erigor then turned his head to see Fairy Tail very own Titania holding a spear in her hand.

"I'm going to give you one a chance to surrender. If you do, perhaps the Magic Council will be lenient in their sentencing," she said. She couldn't make that promise, but it was the best offer she could entice him with. The alternative was being decimated by her and receiving a harsher verdict.

Erigor laughed, most of his legs still submerged in shadow form. "The Council? I've been a prisoner to their system for years." He tilted his head sideways a bit, raising an eyebrow. "Tell me, Erza. Do you enjoy your freedom?"

For a second, his question triggered a painful memory in Erza. Spoken in the same condescending tone, it had been a lifetime ago since that boy dismissed her with similar parting words, but they remained hauntingly clear in her mind.

"Enjoy your 'freedom', Erza Scarlet."

The armored wizard gritted her teeth, but didn't respond, allowing Erigor to continue. "Being part of a Dark Guild means I have none of the rights you have. You get to walk around without a care in the world, whereas I have to be careful of where I show my face. No one from Eisenwald can go anywhere without having to constantly look over their shoulder for knights. All because the Magic Council decided we could no longer carry out people's darkest desires."

"That was the path you chose for yourself when you opted to stay in that line of work," Erza frowned, adjusting her grip on the sword. "You could've joined a legal guild and made an honest living. Instead, you refused to give up killing for money, and I can see that you won't heed my suggestion and turn yourself in. If you insist on complicating your own life with poor decisions, then so be it."

"I'll never give you that flute. I would rather be hunted down by the magic council and tortured before I willingly give you that flute. With this demon, I will be able to make my guild's members life better and it will show the magic council that we will reign supreme. I can finally get revenge on the people that made my life miserable," Erigor answered. In just a quick second, he fired a huge gust of wind from his right palm, sending Erza towards the wall.

"Then I guess I'll have to take your life for the good of the county. Tell me this, what did you do to my comrades that you captured," Erza asked. She began to direct in her spear a far range spell that would act as a cyclone of electricity to paralyze Erigor for a few second so that she could get close to him. The spear began to gather yellow lightning that was being emitted from it and she fired it at the him, watching as it formed a sort of electric cyclone, trapping him as his body got zapped.

She swiftly jumped towards him and took her spear and began coating her magic all over it. The spear began to gather blue lightning that wrapped around it and she began striking him with her spear, watching as electricity flowed through his body. She was performing an attack, she called lightning blitz and she continued to change the direction of her strikes, hoping to confuse Erigor.

"I must say Titania, you've given me quite the beating however it is no where near the beating we gave to those fairy flies. It's time that I don't hold back," he said as he took his scythe and blocked one of her strikes. He then took his scythe and through channeling his magic into it, he sent a barrage of pressurized slashes of air towards her, watching as she tried to dodge his attacks.

"I demand you to tell me what you did to my guild mates." Erza took her spear and slammed it into the ground. Her spear began to release sparks of electricity out of it and she began to use her telekinetic ability to construct tiny orbs of electricity all around the battlefield.

Erigor began flying towards her and began taking his scythe and slashing at her. Each time that Erza dodged the scythe, she could sense the air around her tightening. Erigor continued tightening the air around her, watching as she grasped for air as she fell to the floor. He watched in glee as the mighty Titania fell towards his feet and he put his scythe near her neck for just a second, he thought he saw her move her hands for a second. He then felt a jolt of electricity race through his body causing him to lose his concentration.

Erza continued to launch orbs of electricity in hopes of stunning him enough so that she could more oxygen into her body. She needed to stop this man before he played that flute for anyone and she was still having difficulties breathing. She began to use her telekinetic ability and she used her mind to grab the spear. She then decided to have her spear make quick slashes at Erigor watching as it zapped him a few times until she could feel all the oxygen come back to her.

"Storm Mail," Erigor announced as he initiates the spell by crossing his hands before him. This prompts many air currents to gather around him, creating a hurricane surrounding his entire body. Erza tried to get closer to him but as she tried to walk towards him, the winds crashed against her body.

He was beginning to float upwards above the station and she continued running towards him. She needed to figure out a way to stop that wind barrier from surrounding him, but she didn't know how to stop him.

She began to direct in her spear aa cyclone of electricity to paralyze Erigor for a few second so that she could get close to him. The spear began to gather blue lightning that was being emitted from it and she fired it at the him, watching as it formed a sort of electric cyclone, damaging his storm mail.

She took her spear and began to release sparks of electricity out of it and she began to use her telekinetic ability to construct a huge thunderbolt that struck down on the barrier which quickly shook the thunderbolt off.

"You know how abut I give you a taste of the same attack that I used on those fairy flies that we captured. It was quite fun hearing them scream in pain and now I can't wait to hear your scream as well," he announced as he fired barrages of wind blades at Erza by swinging his arms. These, wind blades were arched projectiles of sort and Erza took her spear and began to create a small electric barrier to protect her by shaping some of the electricity from her spear. The electric barrier began to discharge all of the blades of wind which were sadly destroyed through her spear. She then took her spear and began to fire a few projectiles of electricity at him, watching as the wind barrier continued to get weaker.

She didn't want to believe the words that came out of his mouth, but she honestly knew that they probably did harm her comrades. She was quite worried about all of them, they were all like little brothers to her since they were at the guilds for years. She often had to stop the fights that occurred between Natsu and Gray; while Jet often helped her test her armor speed and Droy was a pleasant mage to talk to about getting some of the sweetest strawberry. She needed to beat the life out of Erigor and save her comrades, so she needed to figure out a way to stop him, but she hated to admit that he was too strong for her at the moment. She watched as he moved his left hand and more pressurized air blast began slashing at her.

"I'm going to put an end to you, just like I did with those other fairy flies. Now die Titania, Emera Baram. Face the soaring wind magic that cuts up everything." He bent his arms pointing his scythe to the sky and began gathering a huge burst of magic.

"I'm not going to be able to survive that attack with my thunder empress armor. I need to show this man, that I will save my friends and make sure that I stop him from killing all the guild masters." She muttered to herself, "Requip: Adamantine Armor." In a few seconds, she searched through her requip space and found the armor and weapon that she wanted, and she grabbed it, watching as her armor began to change. The spear that she once held now faded into her requip space to be replaced by two shields.

She took her two shields and used it to protect herself from the huge blast of sharp wind slashes. She prided her adamantine armor in being able to withstand strong magical attacks, she began to notice that Erigor magic began to diminish, giving her hope that she could defeat him quickly.

"I'm going to defeat Erigor using the power of my Flame Empress armor. She muttered to herself, "Requip: Flame Empress Armor." In a few seconds, she searched through her requip space and found the armor and weapon that she wanted, and she grabbed it, watching as her armor began to change. The two shield that she once held now faded into her requip space to be replaced by a red flaming sword.

"Firaga Burst," she muttered underneath her breath as she grabbed her sword as she began to cast a far range spell to hit the flying Erigor protected by the wind barrier. She began to gather some of her magical energy into her weapon, sensing as her magic and the fire in the sword began to mold together. The sword began to gather scarlet red flames that was being emitted from it and she fired it at the man, watching as multiple burst of fire began striking at the wind barrier.

"His wind barrier most likely won't be able to stand one more magic attack which mean that I need to stop him now before anything else happens."

"Aeroga," Erigor then took his scythe and began to slash at Erza as a gust of wind began to push her back, feeling the air push her back towards the walls of the building. She tried to move her sword but discovered that the wind was unrelenting.

Erza took her sword and tried to throw it at Erigor, feeling the air push her back towards the walls of the building. She was struggling to use her telekinesis so that she could push her sword into the barrier surrounding him, so she could destroy it. "Flame Empress Soaring Fire Strike," she announced the spell as she continued pushing her sword and she soon crashed into the wall as she used the last of her magic to have her sword destroy Erigor barrier as well as burn him.

Erigor fell down on the ground in exhaustion. Erza was proud that she was able to stop this man from his scheme, but she sensed two powerful presence one was behind her and another was the flute that was in the defeated Erigor's hand.

"I'm going to be taking this for now," a man announced as he reached down and grabbed the flute from the defeated Erigor. Erza stared at the person who was holding the flute. He was a tall, muscular young man with extremely short black hair and on his forehead was a small tattoo of a skull. He wore a purple spandex turtle neck, over which he sports a black blazer; and also wears black pants and gloves.

"Stop Scoundrel," Erza shouted as she hurled a few swords from her requip space at the man who swiftly dodged. Erza then felt something hit her and she began to lose consciousness.

"Sweet dreams Fairies," the man muttered as he headed to the dungeon where they held the prisoners.

* * *

 **Well, this was a good chapter, don't you say. I think I did a great job here.**

 **Mira: I definitely enjoyed the battle scene. You did a good job displaying my magic.**

 **Thanks, I tried my best**

 **Erza: Why did you have me get defeated by Jacob easily?**

 **Jacob: Because I'm a Spriggan 12, Titania**

 **The reason why you were defeated, were that you didn't recover all your strength from your last mission**

 **Anyway people, leave reviews and constructive criticism. Flames will either be feed to Natsu or put out by Gray. In the next chapter: Natsu vs. Kageyama and Jacob vs the Fairies**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 **Before we enter the next scene, I like to thankNeo Calous and AkumaNisshokufor their reviews.** **And I like to thank Monxu Aki and summer490 for following and favoriting a Stronger Tail.**

 **Anyway guys, thanks for your reviews, and if you haven't already, leave some, feedback is encouraging. Compliments and criticisms help me grow. flames will just put out, and those that write them will have their souls shredded by Mira. Mu ha ha!**

 **...Sorry, did that seem too evil.**

 **Lucy: You sound a little psycho.**

 **I'll stop then.**

* * *

 **Anyway now, here's the third chapter for the Lullaby arc, and it's disclaimer time. Mira?**

 **Mira: Of course. Grassfire101 does not the right to Fairy Tail.**

 **Warning: Extreme Violence present.**

* * *

Levy began looking around the room that she was in since she followed a shadow that she assumed was the one man that Mirajane ordered her to find. She didn't know much about the Einsenwald guild and their members powers so when she was sent to find one of the dark mages. She was trying her best to find out where he went but she honestly was having difficulties. It also didn't help her case by being in a dark room and she was having difficulties seeing where the shadow went.

She continued looking around the room when she suddenly felt something throw her back towards the wall. Her head was pounding from that attack and she struggled to get back up when she saw the dark mage that she was ordered to track.

"I can't wait to exterminate a little fairy fly," he addressed as he sent another shadow to hit her. This time she took her pen out and began to write the words WIND watching as the man got pushed backwards.

"Oh, so you're a solid script mage that's kind of disappointing. I was hoping to have a more intense fight, but you'll suffice."

"I don't know who you are or what you are planning but I'll stop you regardless." Levy soon began to write the words LIGHT with her pen. She focused her magical energy through her pen and constructed the words to fire off as a barrage at him. In seconds the light photon from the words began to strike him down.

Without a word, Rayule used his Urumi magic to strike Levy, threatening to impale the script mage. Though, Levy managed to pull off various acrobatics, so the cables only punched small holes in the stone. The dark mage clenched his fists and pulled, tearing the bricks his cables had stuck in from the wall. Pulling them down in a vertical strike, Levy was only able to avoid some of them in the confined space, one of the blocks catching her on the left side of her forehead and causing a deep gash.

A pair of the cables wrapped around Levy neck in an attempt to asphyxiate her. At his remark, Levy attempted to slash the cables apart by writing SLASH, to no avail, "It's no use, my Urumi cables are as tough as any superalloy, cutting them is practically useless."

"The cables might be strong, but let's see how strong you are." She stated, grabbing both cables with one hand and pulling as hard as she could, against it. She then wrote the words POWER on her arm feeling the strength in her arm increase. She watched as Rayule began to move towards her as she yanked the cable towards the wall, watching as he hit it.

"Shadow Umani: Fist," Rayule then faded into the shadows and used his mummy like Umani hands to begin attacking Levy who used her pen to write the words SHIELD to surround her. He then used his Umani to fade into the floor and strike Levy from below.

Levy who didn't realize what he was planning was launched into the air from his attack and with quick reflexes wrote the word FLOAT. She focused her magical energy through her pen and constructed the words to allow her to bounce off the ceiling and towards him. She then took her pen and wrote the word FIRE, this time she constructed the words to act as a light source and to be fire four balls of fire for each letter.

He used his shadow umani to dodge two of the fire balls attack but unlikely for him, he didn't realize that one of them was aimed for his side. He hissed in pain from the burn on his side and he then used his hands to grab her and held her in a choking position. He watched as she struggled to breath before seeing a smirk on her face. Unknown to him, the girl wrote the words THUNDER on his umani. Levy began to focus on the words stunning his whole body with each word shocking an important system of his body. He soon felt his whole body zapped by an electric shockwave going through.

He tried to move his body but found that he couldn't, and the girl walked over towards him and wrote the words BIND. Levy knew that he was probably already done for, but she needed to make sure that she could interrogate him, so she could find out a few things out concerning her friends. She focused her magical energy through her pen and constructed the words to tie him up so that he couldn't move his umani to strike her.

Levy then took her hands and wrote the words DRAIN, in hopes that she could weaken all his spirit as well as make sure that he lost all hopes of being able to defeat her. She imagined her magical energy through her pen and designed the words to act as a magic sealiing cuff so that his magic would be drained from his body for the time being. She also designed the words to allow her to absorb his drained magic into her body. They watched as the words drained all his magic powers from him and she allowed his magic to flow into her.

"Now tell me where you are hiding my friends," Levy demanded.

* * *

Jacob was holding Lullaby in his hand and heading toward the dungeon to have that demon slayer break the seal.

"That woman, she couldn't possibly be Knightwalker," Jacob thought as he looked at the defeated red-haired knight. He kept on thinking back about that knight and the uncanny similarities of Knightwalker. Jacob heard tales from his mentor August about the creation known as Knightwalker being created out of despair.

He had a mission that he was given specifically from August to infiltrate a dark guild from Fiore so that he could rise up and get info about the top three leaders of the Balam Alliance plans. Only he and two other Spriggan nominees were sent here to Fiore on missions for their country. The only one that he recalled was that Invel was infiltrating a cult on some demonic island. He heard about the Eisenwald guild as an assassination guild where he joined and quickly rose to power as the second in command. Jacob had no care in the world about the guild objective of using the lullaby flute, a demon that the Emperor Spriggan created, to use on those pathetic guild masters.

Jacob began using his stealth magic as he looked into the lobby of the guild to find almost all the guild members defeated. It was pathetic to discover that a whole guild was defeated by two woman. He walked from the lobby to the dungeon, sensing a fight taking place upstairs, deciding to leave it alone. He had to have faith that the guild mate that challenged those Fairies were strong, known as the S-class members of the guild.

He arrived down at the dungeon where he found the three hostage and the defeated traitors that he captured. They were torturing the guild and fairy trash for a while now ad he decided that now would be the time to get what he needed from that demon slayer. He vanished his stealth and arrived right next to the orange haired kid.

"What do you want from me," the ice demon slayer asked.

"I need you to unseal this flute for me now or I'll cut the head off of your little friend right here," he demanded.

"Why in the world would I unseal that demonic flute for you. You have no idea what that demon could do if it is unleash," the slayer declared.

"I know all about Lullaby and I wish to test the strength of this demon. Now unseal or I'll kill all your friends right now," Jacob demanded yet again.

"Gray don't do it, I'm willing to give up my life to protect the life of the Master," the orange hair man announced.

"Jet, how could I live with myself if I let one of my guild mates die. I'll unseal your damned flute and I'll be the one to end that demon's life," the demon slayer declared.

Jacob put the flute in the boy's hand and watched as the boy began to unseal the demonic seal blocking it. Jacob didn't know much about the unsealing process but he was beginning to think that the demon was possibly awakening from the flute.

* * *

Natsu began to look inside the station for that man after Erza and Mirajane sent him on a mission to find this man. He still couldn't believe that Gray was captured by someone from a dark guild. Gray must have been super weak if some kind of dark mage could beat him up and kidnap him.

Natsu still couldn't understand why his magic felt a little unstable when that flute was near him on the train. It was like that thing in that flute was changing his magic in a way, but he couldn't understand why.

He began to sniff the area hoping to catch that shadow mage smell but could only catch a whiff of that man. He continued to walk slowly towards the sniff of the smell finding himself and Happy to be in a room.

Natsu knew that the shadow mage was in the room right now. He could smell the man and he had no idea what to expect but he needed to get Happy to safety. The man appeared right behind him and fired a barrage of shadow fist at him sending him flying to the crates.

"Hey, Happy how about you head out of here and look for Gray. I'll get my revenge on this dude," Natsu told him. He watched as Happy left the room as the man revealed himself.

"There, I've wanted to do that for a while now. Had enough fairy insect," he taunted, watching as the dragon slayer.

"Not you again!"

"Ha, ha, ha. Wow, you look like an idiot."

"Oh, shut it doggy."

"Get it right, it's Kage. The name is Kage!"

"Same thing really."

"Anyway, I think I've got you all figured out this time. You eat flames to increase your power. Isn't that your big trick? Shouldn't be hard to stamp out."

"Now, I really want to teach you a lesson, but I don't have the time! Tell me where the lullaby flute is!"

"You really think that I'm going to tell you that? If you really want to know then you're going to need to beat it out of me. "

"So, I get to knock you around and I get the info I want? That is killing two birds with one stone. I'm getting fired up now!"

He slipped behind Natsu in the shadow once more, looking to take advantage of being in the dark. "Knuckle Shadow!" he cried as his body fully reappeared, extending his shadow so a number of magical fists would strike up at Natsu.

Predictably, he made his appearance from behind him, but in the middle of turning around, Natsu's body stopped responding. It was as if he was encased in some sort of barrier molded to her figure. "What's going on? What're you doing?" he demanded. It seemed he still had some control over his neck and face, as he was able to speak freely and keep his eyes trained on him.

"Fire Dragon Roar!" Even though Natsu couldn't move his body and he was anxious since he wanted to fight. He began to gather the ethernano in his body which started to convert itself into fire. He then yelled, and a stream of fire erupted aimed at the shadow mage. Kageyama began to bend the shadow around him forming a shield to protect him; which was only able to nullify half of Natsu's roar.

"You're in my Shadow Hold," Kageyama answered smugly. "As long as you're standing in my shadow, you won't be able to move a muscle, aside from that annoying head of your." He was outside of the alleyway, but his specter crept into the darkness encompassing Natsu. "Now you're wide open! Shadow Ball!" Putting his hands together, a swirling black blob gathered within them. He hurled it at him with a sweep of his arms, the ball following a zigzagging trajectory before colliding against him.

He smirked at all the dust the explosion kicked up, thinking he'd won.

"I figured you wouldn't retain that Shadow Hold once you thought I was defeated," he said ominously. "A grave mistake on your part. You'll find I'm not so easily struck down."

" You won't survive my deadliest attack!" he barked.

The Eisenwald mage dropped to a knee, placing his hand on the ground. "Shadow Orochi!" he said. A wave of squirming dark snakes erupted from in front of him, dozens of fanged jaws opening as they sped towards Natsu, who made no attempt to protect himself.

Natsu began to project heat around him and Kageyama watched in horror as his magic energy from that spell seemed to fade completely. Natsu flames began to turn a dark black as it consumed all of the energy. Kageyama becoming reckless now; hurled swirling black blobs at Natsu with a sweep of his arms, the ball following a zigzagging trajectory before evaporating towards him.

"What is going on with my flames," Natsu wondered as he got more frustrated with Kage. His flames were now black for the moment and he assumed that it had something to do with that demon flute.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist Attack!" He began to gather the ethernano in his body which started to convert itself into fire on both hands. He then ran towards Kage and his two flaming hands collided into the man sending him to a wall, defeating him.

* * *

Lucy was looking through the Eisenwald guild trying to figure out where Gray and the others were being held. She was specifically ordered by Mirajane to find and save Gray and the others but she didn't want to disobey Mira and get murdered for doing so. Lucy was terrified to say the least of Mirajane after witnessing her easily one-shot a whole bunch of dark mages.

Lucy began looking around for any secret entrance to figure out where her guild mates were being held. She wanted to summon Musca and Pyxis to figure out where her friends were held but she already summoned them for long durations in this world and they needed to rest for a while. She was already beginning to be drained of most of her magic energy and she needed to conserve a little of it before she fought against anyone strong. She was beginning to lose hope that she could figure out something that could relate to the Celestial Hunter since she knew they had some relation to the Oracion Seis.

She walked down the narrow hallway as she saw Elfman and Levy running to meet up with her.

"Lu, I see that you're safe," Levy happily announced as they ran to give each other a hug.

"Mirajane and I managed to defeat all of them. Mirajane ran off to go find Erza and Natsu while I was sent to go find Gray and Team Shadowgear. I'm worried that the Transporter of Death might be a impossible obstacle to overcome. All of us are losing our magic power from the fights and this man probably still have all of his left," Lucy pondered.

"Lu, don't give up hope, there is still a chance that we can defeat this man and save everyone."

"A real man, know that you never give up hope," Elfman proclaimed.

"Now let's go Lu and stop this man, once and for all."

They then took haste and began searching for their friends. Elfman then began to use one of his take-over and was able to detect with its super hearing that there was screaming down under them. They then managed to find the dungeon where they saw an assassin holding a dagger over Jet neck.

"Let us go already, Gray already unsealed the flute," Droy begged.

"I'm not going to let any of you leave alive," the assassin announced.

"It isn't manly to threaten people. A real man knows to protect and will fight for those that can't defend themselves," Elfman declared. Lucy watched as Elfman hand changed into a yellow wing as he began to fire a huge bolt of lightning at the man. Lucy watched as the assassin stood there stunned for a minute as Elfman leapt over to him and punched him in the face.

Lucy knew that she needed to go and help free her friends. She ran towards the captured Gray and began trying to free him as she watched Elfman fighting against the assassin. She wanted to help fight against this man but she knew that she was too weak against them. She began pulling at the magic sealing rope, trying to free Gray.

Levy took her pen and began writing the words S-W-O-R-D watching as the words took shape of a sword. she then took the sword and began slicing through the rope, watching as it began to be sliced off of Jet.

Meanwhile, Elfman continued to fire bolts of lightning at the assassin who threw something at him. Elfman then took his wings and used them as a shield, watching as it protected him.

"A real man knows how to fight fair and square and they don't rely on dirty tricks like that. Volt Wing Attack," Elfman then charged at Jacob, his two wings coated with electricity as he slashed at the assassin. Elfman then continued by flapping his wings, watching as a small gust sent the assassin a few feet back before firing a bolt of electricity at him.

Jacob then vanished out of their line of sight and Elfman fell to the ground as he felt someone punch him in the stomach. He then continued to assault Elfman as he emerged from his stealth magic.

"It's time that we get our revenge and show Levy that we are strong enough to protect her. Falcon kick," Jet then raced quickly toward the assassin before kicking him in the stomach. Jet then raced to help Elfman up as Jacob began to stand up.

"Ice- Make Battle Axe," Gray announced as he created an axe made out of ice and launched it towards Jacob. Jacob swiftly dodged the axe and picked it up before slamming Jet with it.

"Vine whip," Droy declared as he threw a seed down on the ground watching as vines emerged as it attacked the man.

Lucy watched as the battle ranged on, impressed with how strong each one of them as they all fought in synchronization. It was amazing to watch them all fighting and it was almost like they all knew what to do. She was impressed with how Gray fought by using far ranged attacks while Jet used his quick speed to land various hits on his opponent. Elfman was acting as both a front-liner by using his wings to attacks and elemental caster as he fired off bolts of lightning. Droy was mainly just acting as a trapper as he fired off seeds to delay Jacob movements.

Lucy then decided to use her celestial eye technique to figure out what would happen so she could formulate a plan. Her eyes glowed bright golden and she began to peer into the future of the fight. _She watched as the assassin threw something at the males, before they all fell to the ground, bleeding out. Mirajane then walked in and screamed at Elfman bleeding body as Jacob clapped his hand, causing everyone to vanish. The scene then changed to Jacob clapping his hand as he arrived at the guild masters meeting before capturing all of them. Finally, she watched as Jacob played the flute and a demon emerged destroying cities._

"I need to change that future and save everyone. Levy, I'm going to and find Natsu and the others. Can you please make sure that nothing bad happens to any of them," she asked the girl as she got ready to take off.

"I'll make sure that they don't do anything dangerous," Levy promised as Lucy ran through the hallway.

* * *

"Manly Volt Slash," Elfman then charged at Jacob, his two wings coated with electricity as he quickly slashed at the assassin with his claws.

"Extreme speed," Jet began to run fast as he began to be consumed in a red aura as he slammed into Jacob.

"Seed Bomb," Droy took a few seed from his belt and threw them down at Jacob, watching as each one began to explode.

"Damn it…now this guy's a pain in my ass too!" The assassin swung his arm forward and something hit Droy, throwing him back into a table. Jacob then took his hand and made shooting motion as Droy fell to the ground.

"Droy…!" Levy cried out in worry.

"Heh…" Jacob rotated his arms, and suddenly Gray and Elfman were thrown backwards by some unseen physical force!

"Could this be invisible weapons," Levy thought to herself.

"Erase, vanish, see and make unseen. That is the power of my magic." Jacob spoke with a grin while pointing at Jet, who immediately went on the defensive. But the attack was actually aimed at Gray!

"Ahhh!" Gray cried out, feeling a unfamiliar whipping sensation.

"Oh. Did you think it was aimed at you? It was actually a whip aimed at him." Jacob smirked.

"Ice make: Cannon," Gray then constructed a bazooka cannon and fired a cannon of ice at Jacob. Jacob threw something towards the ice cannon, and they all watched as it broke apart.

"Manly gust attack," Elfman continued to flap his wings, watching as a small gust of electric wind sent the assassin a few feet back.

"Face the power of the Delta Triangle!" Jet quickly began to race around Jacob forming a triangle. The magic energy in his legs began to take form of a destructive shockwave that knocked Jacob down.

"Now have a taste of the Venus Fly Trap." Droy threw a few seeds down on the ground near Jacob. The seed then began to grow quickly into a flytrap which began to consume the Jacob.

"Did we beat him?"

"I think we managed to defeat the assassin," Droy exclaimed. Elfman then allowed his partial take-over to fade as he stared at the Venus fly trap.

"Did you honestly think that you could defeat an assassin like me," Jacob announced as he destroyed the Venus fly trap. He then released his magic energy as they stood paralyzed at the immense magic energy radiating from him.

* * *

Lucy ran out of the dungeon as she began to head towards Mirajane hoping to find her. She needed Mirajane help if they were going to defeat the Transporter. Even though she was impressed with how the others were fighting in synch, she knew that Jacob was not at all using his full power. It seemed like he was testing them out and she needed to get Mira and Natsu if they were going to defeat him. She wandered through the Eisenwald guild, noticing that the defeated guild members that she defeated was still there. She was kind of proud that she was able to summon two spirits at once as well as defeat half of a dark guild. Lucy was getting quite stronger and if she could keep up then maybe she could one day defeat the Celestial Hunter.

She eventually was able to come across Happy who was running down the hallway as she walked up the second floor.

"Happy where is Natsu," she asked.

"Natsu told me to leave and find the others while he was fighting that one weird dude on the train," Happy explained.

"Happy, do you know where Mirajane or Erza is?"

"I haven't seen them at all," Happy told her. She was slightly disappointed that Happy didn't find either of them but she needed to find someone strong that would be able to defeat Jacob.

"Lucy, can you please tell me what happened to the others," Happy asked, wondering if something terrible happened to the other. He really hoped that nothing bad happened to any of his guild mates as he was looking around this floor, trying to find some of his friends.

"Levy, Elfman and I were able to find Gray and the others. Levy and I were able to free them while Elfman fought against the assassin. Elfman, Gray, Jet and Droy are fighting against the assassin but I'm pretty sure that he is holding back. That is why I need to find Mira, Erza and Natsu to make sure that the assassin is defeated," Lucy explained.

"Natsu should be done with his fight by now. We should be able to get his help in tracking the others down before we save the other." Happy then began to lead Lucy to where Natsu was fighting and the celestial spirit mage grabbed her whip to defend herself.

They walked through the hallway when suddenly Lucy began to hear footsteps behind them. She turned her head and she could swear that she saw someone wearing a cloak behind them but then in an instant the person vanished.

"Hey Lucy are you okay," Happy asked, curious why she was looking behind them.

"I just thought, I saw someone behind us," she told the cat.

Happy looked back to see if she was right, but he saw nothing behind them. Was it possible that Lucy was getting a little paranoid about the assassin.

They continued walking until Happy announced that Natsu was in a room that they about to pass. They walked in the room to see Natsu talking to the defeated Kageyama that was laying on the ground.

"Natsu, I see you managed to defeat him," Happy announced as he walked over to him.

"He was quite the tricky opponent but my Fire Dragon Iron Fist attack managed to beat him. I was just talking to him, he doesn't seem like a bad person, just a man who got in a wrong situation."

"Kageyama wasn't it, can you please tell us anything that you know about the assassin," Lucy asked, a little weary that he wouldn't tell her anything. It wouldn't make any sense for him to tell them anything, after all she did contribute to his guild defeat.

"That man is one of the most terrifying person that I've ever come across. He is one big mystery and it seems that he has a objective of his own. He goes by the name Jacob and the Transporter but I feel like he is lying about something. He hails from the Western Continent of Alakitasia but we don't know much about him. He joined our guild a few months ago and has assassinated various people. He is the strongest mage in this guild and there is no chance that you could honestly defeat him, he defeat his opponent with just one clap."

"Is he perhaps the Celestial Hunter," Lucy thought as she began to realize that celestial mages were getting killed off only a few months ago. She joined this quest in hopes of being able to find out who the celestial Hunter was so that she could stop them.

"We'll find a way to defeat him, Fairy Tail always comes out on top," Natsu proclaimed. Lucy really hoped that they could win this fight, because if they didn't, then the whole world would be in danger.

"Who is there," she asked. She saw a person blocking their way, who was wearing a cloak covering their face behind them.

"A celestial mage, how interesting," the person said with a distorting voice as they walked closer to them.

"You two need to get out of here, this is a mercenary that hunts," Kageyama tried telling them before the wizard stepped on his stomach.

"We don't have time dealing with you. So get out of our way," Natsu yelled as his fist were flamed and he ran to punch them.

Lucy watched as the person draw something in front of them and watched as Natsu hit a barrier.

"Thy use barrier magic," Happy declared as he went to help Natsu.

Lucy then watched as the person draw something similar to a constellation that sent a huge energy blast in Kageyama stomach. The wizard then drew something else and a torrent of water at them.

"What kind of magic is this," Lucy thought to herself.

"I wish to test your strength, Celestial Mage," the voice declared.

"Open, Gate of the Maiden, Virgo," Lucy chanted as a bright golden shine emerged as Virgo appeared.

What is your desire, Princess?" Virgo asked, daintily holding her hands together as she awaited orders.

"I need you to take this guy out!" she commanded.

"As you wish, Princess." Virgo then lashed out a kick to the gut hard enough to send the person flying back

" _We need to help Kageyama_ ," Lucy thought as she began trying to bandage him.

* * *

Gray was beyond terrified of the man as he continued to create shields to protect everyone from his attack. He was firing off multiple attacks at them and Gray couldn't see any of them. It was almost like the man was using invisibility to conceal his weapons that he threw at them. Gray was having difficulties during the fight, when the man was physically attacking them, because he seemed to almost vanish and then he appeared as he knocked them down.

"Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Gray threw his arms forward, a blue magic seal forming in front of him. Numerous frozen lances ejected from the seal, flying out from various angles to strike and converge on the unknown enemy.

"Heh…" Jacob merely smirked before taking a fighting stance. The man kicked off, weaving through the incoming lances of ice with little difficult and high speed. Jacob used his stealth magic and he then wore a strange metal gloves appeared, covering his hands and as soon as he reached Jet…lights out.

Before Jet could even put his hands down, Jacob delivered a solid punch to his stomach, causing Jet to fold over.

"Guh…!" A sharp blow like that winded him. Jet's eyes widened and spit flew out of his mouth. The instant he hunched over, a blow was delivered to his chest and the finisher was a rising uppercut to his chin that sent him flying backwards. That three hit combo was all it took to leave Jet sprawled out on the ground with bruises covering his body from the chest up.

Gray couldn't believe that Jet was defeated so swiftly by that assassin and he could only watch as Levy scurried over there. He couldn't move at the moment, but he watched as Droy and Levy began helping him. He couldn't believe that Jet, who was the fastest person in the guild was defeated in a second.

"Gray, we need to be like real men and use all the strength we have to protect those who can't protect themselves." Elfman's right arm glowed once more, changing from Thunder bird into yet another new form. The arm was now black and appeared slimy, complemented by a bright-green, striped reticulation that ended at his hand which had also changed so that the pinky and ring, as well as middle and index fingers had fused to create three digits.

"Ice Devil slaying mode," Gray began to allow markings to consume his body, the area around them began to get colder. The room around them began to get cold to the point that Levy began to write the words HEAT to keep them warm

"Flaming sludge fist," Elfman fists began to be coated with flames as his take over began to secrete sludge mixing into the flames and he then tried swinging at Jacob jawline...but he missed.

In the next instant, he returned fire with a swift punch of his own to Elfman's jawline. The direct hit sent the man back and some blood flew from his mouth.

"Ice Devil's Rage," Gray announced as he releases a large beam of cold air, ice and snow from his mouth, directing it towards Jacob. Jacob flipped, gritting his teeth in slight annoyance.

This was an annoying team composition; a man that could switch monster souls, and someone who had more range than him. He was slowly beginning to realize that this was an unfavorable match up for him….on paper. The assassin regained his posture and adjusted his gloves. "I see. You two aren't bad in your own rights. You complement each other in a strange way… Starting now, I'm going to make your live a living hell!" Jacob spoke with a malicious grin.

The assassin pulled Gray's arm back, restraining the other one with his leg, and kept a firm hold on Gray's scalp. "Take a good look at the man standing before your eyes." What was happening? Elfman's soul and outfit was starting to fade away, exposing his body.

"Wait…cut it out!" Levy covered her eyes as best she could. "NOOOOOO!"

"NOOOOOO! This is not very manly!" Elfman covered himself as best she could.

* * *

"What was that," Mirajane asked herself as she began helping an injured Erza move.

"I don't know but whatever it is, it sounds like our comrades are in trouble."

* * *

"That was Levy and Elfman," Natsu announced as he heard the loud screaming. He then coated his fist with fire and tried punching the mage.

"I hope she and the others is alright" Lucy muttered.

* * *

"I…I can't believe this…" Droy groaned.

"…." Gray jaw dropped. He absolutely couldn't believe what it was he was looking at right here.

"Now's this?!" Jacob spoke as he revealed his…his ace in the hole. "I rendered all of his clothing invisible!"

"Now THIS is what I call a living hell!" Jacob said.

"YEAH, FOR ME!" Levy waved her fist around.

Droy held a deadpanned look. "Uhmmmm….what part of this is supposed to be hell?"

 **"** Yeah, we see him naked all the time when we take a shower at the guild," Gray exclaimed. This was nothing new to the guys but they needed to stop Jacob for Levy's sake right now.

"YOU LITTLE…!" Jacob sighed. "There's a nubile member of the fairer sex in nothing, right in front of you! You're flustered, aren't you!? Don't play coy with me, it's pure hell! So hellish that you want to…avert your eyes…!"

"My eyes are already closed, you creep," Levy screamed as she wrote the words STORM with her pen. She focused her magical energy through her pen and constructed the words to push that man away with a huge gust of electricity and wind.

""You are going to be defeated here and now, I'm sure of that. Ice Devil Zeroth Destruction bow," Gray creates an intricate bow made of ice and fires an arrow from it at high speeds towards . When the arrow makes contact, it turns into a spiky array of ice that heavily damages Jacob.

"You're right." Jacob brought his hands up, keeping them spaced apart. "Which is why I'm going to do this the easy."

"W-What's he doing…?" Levy blinked slowly.

"If you think we're just gonna stand here and let you…" Elfman started, but by then, Jacob clapped his hands together.

"Transport." Jacob said, clasping his hands together. Due to the range of Gray's attacks, they had the space all to themselves. This range was close enough for everyone to be pulled within Jacob's pocket dimension.

"Oh shi-" This was the last thing Gray could utter before they just…vanished!

* * *

Lucy was currently taking out a few of the medical equipment out of Happy's bag and she was starting to treat Kageyama. She only knew basic first aid and she honestly needed to learn more of first aid once she got back from this mission, but she was prioritized in keeping that dark mage alive. It seemed almost ironic to think that she was now trying to make sure that Kageyama was going to stay alive after he tried to kill Natsu earlier. She was placing all of her hope in Virgo working together with Natsu in defeating this psycho.

"Natsu and Virgo good luck," Happy cheered for them.

"I'm all fired up," Natsu announced as flames radiated from him. Natsu had no idea what this person magic was, but it seemed that they were allowed to use various types of magic. It almost reminded Natsu of Levy's solid script magic.

"I shall stop this man for my princess," Virgo declared as she began to release her magic energy. Virgo then began to manipulate the floor around them creating a small boulder that she threw with her chain at the masked mage.

"Is this the best that you got pinkies," the masked person announced as they drew something which caused the boulder to shatter instantly in the ground.

"Fire Dragon Roar," He began to gather the ethernano in his body which started to convert itself into fire. He then yelled, and a stream of fire erupted aimed at the mage, who in quick retaliation created a huge wave of water, stopping the flames.

"They stopped Natsu roar," Happy exclaimed, shock that Natsu attack was so easily countered.

"Virgo, do you know what magic they seem to be using," Natsu asked, hoping that the celestial spirit would have some knowledge.

"Sir Natsu, I may know not the exact name of this magic type but it seems to be an off branch of celestial spirit magic and pict magic. It seems that the person simply need to draw out a constellation which will release a power of the spirit."

"Spica Shake," Virgo then pressed her hands to the floor, causing the area around the mage to shake, making it unsteady for the mage.

"Fire Dragon Claw," He began to gather the ethernano in his leg which started to convert itself into fire and he then lunged toward the mage, kicking them in the side.

The mage then started to draw another constellation which then created a huge sandstorm that covered the area around them, making it difficult for everyone to see.

"Princess, are you okay," Virgo asked.

"So much sand," Lucy exclaimed as she tried closing her eyes.

Virgo then took her hand and began to manipulate the floor, creating a makeshift dome to protect the others from the dome. She then manipulated the floor, creating a sinkhole where the mage was, watching as he fell to the first floor.

"Ready to defeat this mage, Sir Natsu?"

"I'm all fired up," Natsu announced as flames radiated from him as he jumped down the hole.

* * *

Mirajane and Erza were walking toward the huge magic energy source that they both sensed. Mirajane didn't understand why but she felt like something terrible happened to her younger brother and her guild mates after she heard her brother scream in what sounded like embarrassment. It was her job to protect her brother and she would destroy anyone who was in her way. She still couldn't believe that she found Erza trying to support herself on a pillar as she suffered huge attacks from Erigor.

They eventually found themselves standing across from the man that Erza described as the man that easily managed to dodge her throwing various swords at him. He had immense magic power that seemed to be getting weaker each time he tried to walk. He seemed to be grabbing his chest and as she looked, seemed to have just ended a tough fight.

Mira assumed that she and Erza could probably quick put an end to him but she didn't want to attack right away. She still needed to find out what happened to her brother before she tried to fight this assassin and she wanted to find out what happened to the Lullaby flute. The last thing that she could recall about the flute was that it was passed on by Kageyama the man who tried to seduce them, later to Erigor who was defeated by Erza before this man took it.

"I see we meet again,Transporter of Death," Erza announced.

"Well, well...If it isn't Titania and Lilith."

"Lilith? Mira, they call you that now?"

"This is the first time, I've heard someone say that before. I've always been called the She-Devil so being called Lilith isn't that bad to hear."

"Wait, why did you call her Lilith," Erza asked, now curious about the new title.

"Don't you know Titania, that Lilith was the Queen of Demons. It's only fitting that you're equivalent rival has a title like that."

"He has a point, Erza. I might as well be called something to rival the great Titania."

"I must say that it was fun chatting with you, but I don't have time to fight two beautiful ladies right now, so if you can just step aside, I'll be on my way.

"That's not going to happen. We didn't come here to just let you get away and kill our Master... We came here to stop you and finish a job," Erza declared as she pointed her sword at Jacob.

"You and what army is going to stop me? If you didn't realize Fairies, I managed to defeat and capture five of your mages," he bragged.

"You underestimate the power of Mira and I. We are two S-class mages and we are a two-women army."

"Did you capture my brother," Mira asked as her body began to shake.

"I don't want to have to make this ugly, but you're going to give me no choice. I managed to defeat and embarrass your weak brother and your guild mates," he taunted. He then rotated his arms and suddenly Mira and Erza were thrown backwards by some unseen physical force!

 _"Could this be invisible weapons,"_ Mira thought to herself.

Jacob then took a knife from his pocket and hurled it at Mira, who was a little stunned at what was happening. She couldn't think after learning that her brother was just captured, so all she could do was cross her arms and hope for the best.

A moment later, Erza jumped in front of Erza wearing her Adamantine Armor and the knife fell to the ground. She muttered to herself, "Requip: Blackwing Armor." In a few seconds, she searched through her requip space and found the armor and weapon that she wanted, and she grabbed it, watching as her armor began to change. Her armor now changed as she had black armor and wings with a sword.

"Mirajane, snap out of it. We need to use all of our strength to stop this man and save our guild mates. It's time that we show him the wrath of Fairy Tail," Erza declared.

"Well that was a bad idea to tell me that you captured my brother, because now I'm going to enjoy beating you to the ground."

A dark aura engulfed her and quickly dissipated, she had undergone a drastic change. She now appeared to wear a somewhat-revealing, blood-red, one-piece swimsuit, her hands had now developed into 5-inch-long claws connected to armor-like skin, a stocky tail made of durable-looking scales had also emerged from her lower back. Her hair now permanently stood on end, her eyes remained blue but had lost all features, except for the pupils, and thin, crack-like scar appeared on her face.

"Moon Flash," Erza began flying with her wings and she poured energy into her sword as a violet aura wrapped itself around her blade as she attempted to slash Jacob.

"Dark Pulse," Mira said with an amused smirk as she aimed the palm of her hand at him, three large, black rings shot from her outstretched limb towards Jacob.

"Is that all you girls got," Jacob chuckled.

* * *

Natsu had to say that he was impressed with how strong Lucy spirit was, a part of him wanted to test his skills against Lucy. If she had spirits as strong as Virgo, then how strong was she? He was beginning to think that Lucy was holding herself back a little but he wasn't going to comment that to her. Right now, Virgo was currently digging underground while he just fired another fire dragon roar at his opponent.

"I must say that for a dragon slayer, you're quite the disappointment. I was hoping for more of a challenge but you just disappoint me. I wonder if you could survive this attack," the mage said with distortion in their voice as they drew up the constellation of Hydra. Seven serpents started flying at Natsu, each one firing beams of energy towards him.

"How dare you call me weak! Fire Dragon Brilliant Flames," Natsu ignites both his hands in flames and then brought them together, creating a fiery explosion which countered some of the beams.

"Not a half bad attack, but I wonder if you two can survive these next few attacks." The mage then began to draw up the constellation Sagitta which began to fire off arrows at the two.

"Spica Barrier," Virgo then started to manipulate the floor around them, creating a blockade which protected them from the flying arrows. Virgo then moved her hand and the blockade split and she started to throw projectiles at them.

"I'm not going to give them any time to react. Fire Dragon Sword Horn," Natsu began to gather the ethernano to surround his body which started to convert itself into fire and he then jumped gaining vast speed as he went to head butt the mage.

* * *

Erza was having a tough time fighting against Jacob since he seemed to be standing after a few of her attacks. She and Mirajane were working quite well together but she was a little concerned that they didn't have enough strength to stop him.

"Night Slash," Erza sword started to glow bright violet and she then flew right behind him before slamming the sword into Jacob stomach. She then watched as Jacob staggered for a second before she fired a huge blast of violet energy at him.

"Darkness Stream," Mirajane extends her hand towards Jacob and summons forth her Magic Seal underneath Jacob, where a multitude of large tendrils composed of dark energy is formed, which surround and envelope him.

Erza then flew towards him and she took her sword and pointed it at him, watching as he was struggling to get up from that attack.

"Why does your guild want the Lullaby flute so bad," Erza demanded. She wanted to know the answers to why his guild was so willing to try and retrieve the flute.

"We all have our own personal reasons for wanting to kill the guild masters and eliminate all guilds. Your light guilds are nothing but dangerous to the citizens and how many citizens have been murdered in the crossfire of guilds fighting. How many innocent civilian have died as a result of your guild messing up on missions? How much destruction has your guild caused throughout the years? The only solution to this problem is eliminating all light guilds and bring upon a new revolution in this land. This land shall be ruled by the Baram Alliance where the Grand Magic World shall occur."

"What in Fiore is the Grand Magic World?" Erza has never heard of that phrase before but was that the real objection of the Baram Alliance. She only encountered a few mages of the Alliances but she still had no idea what they were aiming to accomplish.

"Why are you doing this," Mirajane asked her voice, twisted and distorted.

"I simply wish to bring upon the era in which Zeref will rule. Do you two understand the feeling of being powerless as the people that you love perish in the crossfire of destructions? I've lost my family in destruction from guilds and that was the last time that I've felt powerless. I was from a noble assassin clan in a village from Alakatasia, where a foreign guild deemed my village as evil and they killed most of the villagers. I was powerless to do anything so all I could do was hide as I watched my village people get slaughter. I want all guilds to crumble underneath the Dark Lord Zeref as we build a new world," Jacob cackled.

He then rotated his arms and suddenly Mira and Erza were thrown backwards by what felt like a chain. He then started to point his hand like a gun watching as invisible bullets started to hit them.

"Night Daze," Erza then slammed her sword in the ground, watching as it began to release a huge blast of violet energy at him. He then pointed his hand like he was wearing a shied which seemed to protect him fro, the attack.

"Darkness Spiral!" she shouted, her voice deep and twisted. Multiple beams of pure black shot outwards and closed towards Jacob, the ends reaching out like claws just before blasting into him.

"Moon blast," Erza sword started to glow bright violet as it started to construct a moon before Erza slashed her sword diagonally. Erza had Jacob right where she wanted him, now lunging at the open Einsenwald assassin with her weapon. "Got you!"

"Do you?" Jacob questioned while spinning around Erza, completely evading her strike while sharply bringing his elbow to the back of her head. The blow caused Erza to roll, and when she caught herself, Jacob was gone!

"Huh!?" Erza's eyes went wide. "He was here just a second ago…"

Mirajane looked around as well, unable see or even sense Jacob. "He's…gone?"

Mira started to look around the area, hoping to find him. She then felt a huge jab in the face. "Ow…! Did you just…punch me in the face? That's rude!" She scowled, swinging at the open air. Another blow to her side caused her to stagger. Now she was getting a little pissed off. "HA!" A barrier of dark electricity formed around her body.

With a stroke of luck, it was at that moment Jacob tried to jab her again, only for his fist to meet the electricity. "Ah…!" That stung! Jacob pulled his hand back and his form reappeared.

"Evil Spark." No time was wasted. Mira jabbed her hands into Jacob's chest and a powerful bolt of electricity shot out, pushing the Eisenwald assassin into a table. "Got you that time, prick."

Jacob stood up, his gaze narrowing into a glare. "You really are annoying." He got up from the table calmly. "Your skills aren't bad…but there's a time and place. Right now, I need to eliminate you two and kill your master." He then vanished once again and they continued to look for him.

* * *

Mira felt a punch strike her side, causing her to yelp. "Ouch!" Another one to her stomach which made her fold over followed up by a fierce kick to her temple. To Erza, it just looked like Mira fell backwards! "Agh…" That hurt a lot for just physical blows.

"He's there!" Erza fired a bolt of darkness, but she missed. She couldn't even tell if she was close or not, which was really annoying! "Where the hell did he…" Her sword was suddenly disarmed! Before she could gasp, a swift chop to her throat silenced her and piercing jab to her kidney left her reeling and coughing up some blood. "Ugh…you son of a…"

"Are you okay!?" Mira said, worry in her tone.

"Fine…" Erza grumbled before lifting her fist into the air and then requipping into her Morning Star armor. She realized that the only way that she could stop him was to make sure that they could see and her morning star armor should have the light to provide for it.

Jacob vanished again. This time a myriad of blows aimed for the duo. They couldn't even see where it was coming from, but multiple strikes landed against their bodies and they cried out in pain.

"Aaaagh! What's happening!?" Mira cried out as the multiple strikes just kept coming.

"Photon slicers," Erza took her twin swords and combining them together, unleash a huge blast of light at him. The light stunned Jacob and Mirajane flew right behind him and fired a huge ray of darkness at him, sending him to the ground.

He then vanished yet again using his Stealth magic and he was getting ready to uppercut Mirajane.

"He hasn't completely vanished! We just can't see him, but he definitely has a physical form! That means that the light from my armor should render him visible," Erza declared. She then concentrated a little magical energy from her armor which produced a bright light that caused Jacob to be seen.

"Found you!" Mirajane lunged forward, slamming a dark infused fist into Jacob's chest. She then took her hands and fired a huge blast of darkness at him, sending him toward the ground.

The assassin swung his arm forward and something hit the demon, throwing her back into a table. Mira then got into a defensive stance, after realizing that he was getting ready to fight.

Erza used her opening to dash forward, light forming around her sword . She went to strike, but Jacob turned, swinging his other leg at her head. She couldn't dodge fast enough, so Jacob's foot crashed into her shoulder and forced her to the ground. "Wah…!" This was all before Mira could even move from her defensive stance. Jacob turned and slugged Lilith in the stomach, sending her tumbling along the floor. "He excels at hand to hand too!?" Jacob then pointed his hand at them and they were both getting shot with invisible bullets again.

Erza continued to shine in her armor as she then fired another blast of light at him. He staggered for a bit, giving Mirajane enough time to slam her tail into his side, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Orbs of Daylight," Erza then pointed her twin swords at Jacob and orbs turned into beams of golden light as they were shot towards him.

"Darkness Spiral!" Mira shouted, her voice deep and twisted. Multiple beams of pure black shot outwards and closed towards Jacob, the ends reaching out like claws just before blasting into him. She then grabbed Jacob with her claws and threw him into the floor.

Jacob who began to stumble around threated them," Your 5 guild mates who I captured ; starting now, I'm going to kill them personally one by one!"

"Erza, ready to take this man down," Mirajane asked as she licked her teeth. She was starting to get fed up with him and she was ready to finish him. He had the audacity to threaten to kill her younger brother in front of her and she was getting annoyed with him.

The assassin brought his hand up, the Transport orb appearing within his palm. Jacob closed his hand, causing a beat up Elfman to reappear.

"Mira," Elfman muttered as he fell to the ground. He was too embarrassed for his older sister to find him weak like this.

"I'm going to kill your little brother," Jacob then took a knife and pressed it towards Elfman neck. It was at that moment that a leg then slammed into his face, causing him to tumble backwards. "Ooof!"

"What!?" Jacob regained himself, shocked to see Gray and Team Shadow Gear before him. "How did you escape the Transport!?"

Levy pressed her index finger against her temple, a smirk noticeable on her face. She was holding in her hand, the Lullaby flute that Jacob hid in his transport. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. All I needed was for you to create a rift in your transport for my solid script magic to work, so we could escape."

"T-This is…impossible!" Jacob snarled and brought his hands apart again.

"Cross of Salvation," Erza then took her sword and placed them in the shape of a cross and a huge cross of light struck down Jacob, causing him to drop the knife on the ground.

"I'm going to put an end to you. Have a taste of Soul Extinctor!" Mirajane gathered magical energy between her hands, which subsequently takes the form of a large, black globe. The globe then fires a large black-purple beam that generates a devastating explosion, sending Jacob flying to the wall, defeated.

* * *

Natsu was glad that he and Virgo managed to weaken the constellation pict mage but they were still rising up after his attack. He couldn't understand how that mage was still standing up after taking a few hits from his fire dragon slaying magic. Virgo was currently engaging in combat against the mage but she seemed to not be doing enough damage to stop them.

"Fire Dragon Crushing Claw," Natsu began to gather the ethernano to surround his body which started to convert itself into fire and he then jumped gaining vast speed as he went to swipe at the mage.

"Spica Boulder Launch," Virgo then pressed her hands to the ground and began to fire off projectiles of rocks at him.

"I'm going to end this conflict and awaken Lullaby," the mage announced as they drew up a constellation. A bright red light consumed them as they were teleported from the room.

"What's going on," Lucy asked as she was getting consumed from the red light. One minute she was taking care of Kageyama and the next she found herself staring face to face with Levy outside the Eisenwald guild.

"Everyone I'm going to call the Rune Knights to report that our mission was a success and for them to come here so that they can arrest all those dark mages," Mirajane explained as she left to make a call.

"Lucy and Natsu are you two okay," Levy asked as she ran up to them.

"What happened to that mage," Natsu asked, he couldn't get a smell on them from a moment.

"What mage are you talking about," Levy asked. She had no idea what Natsu was talking about at the moment.

"The mage that casted that weird spell that teleported us here."

"Sir Natsu, it seems that the mage disappeared," Virgo told him.

"Virgo, do you think it would be possible for you to get some of Crater's health and magic restoration potion," Lucy asked. She knew that everyone was extremely tired and drained, and she wanted to help out if she could.

"Princess, I'll be back," Virgo announced as she faded to the spirit realm for a while.

"We're fine Levy, but this man is dying," Lucy told them as she was referring to Kageyama. She managed to bandage up him but he needed medical attention.

"I can't believe we managed to defeat that dark guild," Levy said proudly. She couldn't believe that she was able to defeat a dangerous dark mage as well as save her friends from that assassin's transport.

"We're getting stronger," Jet happily told them as he ran over to them. He was still a little disappointed that he wasn't able to really play a huge role against the dark guild, but he was hoping to train once he got back.

"We should probably tell the master that we prevented Lullaby from killing the guild masters," Lucy told them.

"That's a good idea, I'll go and update the master," Erza replied.

Virgo then appeared from the spirit realm carrying two trays of potions before she handed it to everyone. She then returned to the spirit realm.

"It's time to bring upon Lullaby," a voice announced as they all turned their heads to face the cloaked constellation pict mage. The mage began to draw up a constellation which seemed to somehow bring Lullaby towards Lucy. The constellation then brought Lullaby to Lucy who seemed to not be able to get the flute out of her hands. A bright light emitted from her hand and the seal from the flute broke.

"I hope to test your strength one day," the mage announced as they drew up a constellation and darkness consumed the area, allowing the mage to escape as Jacob disappeared alongside them.

Lucy dropped the flute and Natsu picked it up before they all waited for the authority to appear.

A dark black mist escaped the flute as it began to spread around them.

* * *

 **Well, this was a good chapter, don't you say. I think I did a good job here.**

 **Levy: I definitely enjoyed the battle scene. You did a good job displaying my magic.**

 **Thanks, I tried my best**

 **Erza: Why did you have Jacob withstand so much of our attacks?**

 **Jacob: Because I'm a Spriggan 12, Titania and at this point in the timeline, I have the same amount of magic power as Jellal.**

 **Mira: Why did you have Jacob call me Lilith?**

 **I felt like it never made sense that you were only known as She-Devil when you could have been known as the Queen of the Demon**

 **Lucy: I heard that someone was wondering if this was a Nalu fic or not?**

 **At this point, I have decided that I'm not going to be focusing on ships until the seven year timeskip**

 **Anyway people, leave reviews and constructive criticism. Flames will either be feed to Natsu or put out by Gray. In the next chapter: Lullaby and the corruptions of the Fairies**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia couldn't believe that they managed to defeat the dark guild known as Eisenwald. She was a little relieved that they were able to rescue their friends and stop the Eisenwald guild from accomplishing their plan. She still was a little curious to figure out what they were planning on assassinating the guild master with the demon flute. She was ecstatic to know that she wasn't a burden on the mission and that she actually managed to help take down a huge amount of dark mages.

They were currently sitting down outside of the dark guild, resting for a bit as they waited for the authority to arrive to arrest them. They were waiting for the Rune Knights and the Zentopia Church to arrest the dark mages so that they could also collect their rewards. Kageyama was all bandaged up and Mira then used sleep magic to knock him out, in order to make sure that he wouldn't do anything. Erza managed to call the Master and informed him that they managed to stop the dark guild.

Lucy did appreciate the potions that Crater created for all of them, which helped her recover a good amount of magic energy. She also was quite impressed with how the mission went, being quite proud that she managed to summon two spirits alongside each other, even if it did drain her a little. She decided that the moment she got back to the guild, that she wanted to start practicing in summoning two silver keys together. She was also amazed at how strong and useful all of her spirits were, each one was able to help in some ways.

She was finally beyond relieved that the one mage that Natsu and Virgo fought seemed to have some connection to the Celestial Hunter. She spent the past year trying to figure out who the Hunter was and she had a faint idea that if she could figure out who that mage was, she would have her answer. She was still in amazement as Virgo explained to Lucy that the mage used some kind of off branch caster celestial magic.

The Celestial Spirit mage was however a little concerned about the demonic flute that Mirajane was holding at the moment. Mirajane decided that the safest choice of action was to give it to the Magic Council, but Lucy had a bad feeling about it. The seal managed to break, just by her touching the flute which meant that either the seal was weakened earlier or someone did something. Even so, Lucy didn't have a lot of experiences with seals, it didn't make any sense for her touch to just shatter. She was also getting a little worried that the demon was somehow still in slumber after the seal broke.

She had a lot of questions about the flute but she was still a little hesitant about it now that the seals broke. She wanted to find out who in her family managed to seal that demon and why one of her family members would be dealing with demons? She wondered why someone would create a flute of all things to be a demon?

She felt a dark presence radiate from the flute, it was starting to make her uncomfortable. The flute was beginning to emit a dark mist which started to go consume Natsu and Mira.

"Mira and Natsu look out," she screamed at them, she needed to do something to stop it, but all she could do was watch as Mirajane dropped it as the dark mist wrapped itself around Natsu and Mira.

"What is happening to them," Erza asked as the mist continued to consume them.

"The demon is awakening and right now it is trying to possess the two of them," Gray announced.

"What can we do to help them," Lucy asked as she saw them both begin standing still. Elfman could only stare as he saw his older sister just stand still.

"All we can do is try to help them fight the demon. Right now, the demon is trying to rage a internal battle for their body so they must likely will try to attack us. We need to help subdue them for now and with a separation purification spell we should be able to separate them from the demon," Gray told them.

* * *

Natsu was confused on what just happened to him, a minute ago he was talking to Happy, telling him all about how awesome he was when he fought Kageyama and that weird Celestial mage who drew pictures and the next minute he found immobilize by some strange kind of mist that consumed them. He was starting to question why he had terrible luck that always seemed to entail him almost dying on some accounts, first he got roped into going on this mission by Mira and Erza and then he almost got killed against a weirdo.

"Where am I," he asked, not knowing where he was as he found himself lying in nothing but a desolate castle as he saw a huge tree like figure approach him. The thing was gigantic probably the size of a dragon as it started to walk towards him.

"Master, it has been so long since I've last seen you. We are in our mind-space and I brought you back to your old home, Cube," a sweet voice announced as the tree continued walking towards him.

"Old home? That's isn't possible, I've always lived with Igneel and we lived out in a forest. I've never lived in some castle like this, it has way to much style for this to be my home. I live in a small cottage near Fairy Tail," Natsu informed the demon.

"Master, do you remember who I am?"

"I have no idea where you are but why do you keep calling me master," Natsu questioned.

"You really don't remember who I am?! That's a shame, I guess Lord Zeref must have done something to you, which might explain why you look a little younger and in a human form. Master, it is I the demon that used to help you fall asleep every restless night, Lullaby."

It was taking Natsu a long time to understand what the hell that Lullaby was talking about. He was beginning to think that Lullaby might be that evil flute that they were trying to stop but he had no idea. Lullaby continued to remind him of how he didn't remember who it was.

"Are you the demon from that flute then?"

"I am the demonic flute, Master. I've missed serving you as I've been sealed into my flute for an eternity by that damn enchantress and celestial spirit mage for 400 years."

"Wait, you served me? What did we used to do and why were you sealed?" Natsu still had no idea what was going on, but he needed to figure out what in the world, that demon seemed to know.

"Master, do you not remember the time that Lord Zeref used to send us on missions to eliminate wild Dragons. All of us demons used to feast on the destruction of human, dragons and monsters alike. Sadly, 400 years ago, Master you sent all of us demons to eliminate everyone in Dragnof and I was defeated by the queen."

"I would never do something like killing others and dragons. I was raised by Igneel a fire dragon and he taught me that dragons are nice creatures. It also isn't the Fairy Tail way to murder others for fun which mean that you got the wrong person," Natsu roared.

"Master, I think you need my help in remembering your past. How about I sing to you and help you fall asleep," Lullaby told him.

"Hell no!" Natsu then tried to unleash a huge wave of fire at the demon who seemed to swat it all away. Lullaby then started to sing and all Natsu could do was fall asleep.

A few seconds passed as a demonic entity appeared right behind the sleeping dragon slayer. Lullaby's eye widened as it saw its former Master appear before it.

"It's been a while Lullaby," the scruff distorted voice announced.

"Master, it's been a long time," Lullaby told the entity as it bowed to it.

"I must thank you for waking me up and helping me take over the boy. However, I'm not going to have a lot of time as outside and inside forces are fighting for this dragon slayer. So, let's have some fun!"

* * *

Natsu body began to emit dark flames that seemed to be wild and intense. Lucy could only watch in horror as Natsu body seemed to start changing as flames then consumed the dragon slayer. He no longer seemed to look like his usual self, as he was now replaced by some demonic entity.

"Natsu snap out of this," Happy tried to plead to him as Natsu sent flames to consume the blue exceed.

"Happy, it's not going to work. This demon seems to be in control of Natsu and if you try to do anything reckless, I don't think that I can save you," Gray told the cat. Gray then created a huge shield to protect them but it seemed to melt from the intense heat.

"We need to fight everyone to save Natsu," Erza declared as she requipped into her Sea Empress Armor. She the slashed her sword diagonally, creating a huge wave that Natsu evaporated instantly.

"It's time that we assemble," Lucy declared as she took out her keys and summoned forth Ursa Major.

Vicious flames ignited around Natsu arm and he lunged forward in time with Gray.

"GET THE HELL OUTTA MY WAY!" Natsu roared. The two of them swung and struck each other across the cheek, causing explosions of their elements behind the opposition. The two didn't relent, colliding their fists while screaming at the top of their lungs. The result was a massive explosion that spread out for miles on end; the only fortunately part about this clash is that they happened to be in a desolate area of the battlefield. As soon as the explosion faded, Natsu swung a blazing claw at Gray's arms. The Devil Slayer barely managed to defend and slid back across the ground.

"Bastard!" Gray yelled, swinging his arm to quickly craft a Long Sword that slashed against Natsu's chest. In his current state, such magic was highly effective and the demon roared out in pain.

"MOVE!" Natsu exclaimed, immediately pushing off to launch himself headfirst right into Gray's gut! The blazing head butt pushed the devil slayer backwards and he just narrowly caught himself. "YOU CAN'T STOP ME ANYMORE! NO ONE CAN!"

"Even so that might be the case that we can't stop you. We refuse to allow you to possess our friends so have a taste of Solid Script: Flood," Levy wrote the words F-L-O-O-D which unleash a huge amount of water that separated Natsu from Gray. The flood then started to sweep Natsu away for a while before he unleashed a huge veil of flames that disintegrated the water.

Erza lunged towards Natsu who was recuperating from the flood. "Tidal Wave," she began to gather some of her magical energy into her weapon, sensing as her magic and the water in the sword began to mold together. The sword began to gather cerulean blue water that was being emitted from it and she fired it at the man, watching as a huge wave swept him.

Ursa Major began running towards Natsu as it froze the water around Natsu causing him to be stuck in place for a few seconds. She then slashed her claws at Natsu who tried to counter with a punch. She then grabbed Natsu and threw him at a tree.

Natsu then charged at Erza, swinging a blazing fist at her face. Erza was able to block the blow, but the intensity behind it sent her flying to a tree! "Guh…!" Painful, but she had to keep on the offense. Bits of water began to surround Natsu and violently crashed down towards him. Natsu was swift enough to notice this and avoid them with several flips. When they got to close, he swung his arms around violently, creating bursts of flames to completely destroy what was attacking him.

That's when Natsu foot touched the ground and he realized he was frozen in place! It was something he could melt easily, but that brief second of distraction cost him as a beam of ice struck his body, sending him tumbling.

"Extreme speed," Jet began to run fast as he began to be consumed in a red aura as he slammed into Natsu, causing him to stagger.

"Seed Bomb," Droy took a few seed from his belt and threw them down at Natsu, watching as each one began to explode.

"Gah…!" Natsu rolled before catching himself as he was recovering from the two attacks, he plugging his arm deep into the ground to create a pillar of flame to rise from underneath them.

The instant this formed, Gray lifted his hand up to freeze it. Several more pillars rose, but he froze them as well. What Gray failed to realize that this was a ploy and when he turned his head, a gigantic funnel of darkened flames was released from Natsu's mouth!

"Solid Script: BARRIER," Levy began writing the word B-A-R-R-I-E-R and magic ethernano from her pen started to construct into a barrier which surrounded the fairy tail mages.

"Poseidon Sphere," Erza she began to gather some of her magical energy into her weapon, sensing as her magic and the water in the sword began to mold together. The sword began to gather cerulean blue water that was being construct to protect the mages, and it formed alongside the barrier.

The darkened flames struck the barriers before it eventually burned up it, destroying them completely. The flames then consumed them, sending all of them to the ground in a explosion.

"GAAAAAAH!" Natsu wasn't going to relent. Flames exploded from the soles of his sandals and he rocketed forward.

That was when Levy wrote the words S-H-I-N-E, and magic ethernano from her pen started to construct into a huge radiant light that forced Natsu to close his eyes in paralyzes.

"Delta Triangle," Jet quickly began to race around Natsu forming a triangle. The magic energy in his legs began to take form of a destructive shockwave that knocked Natsu down.

"Triangle wave," Erza said, as the water from her sword shot in the shape of a powerful triangle, the triangle began to consume the fallen boy into a wave.

"Fire in the hole," Droy the took a few seeds from his pouch and threw them at Natsu. The seeds then started to grow before eventually becoming a plant that began to constrict Natsu from moving.

"Glacial Wall," That's when Ursa Major lifted her claws up to form a wall of ice in front of him, one that Natsu slammed into. With a glare, Natsu attempted to circle around the wall, only to be cut off once more. This process continued until Natsu was trapped!

"I'm putting a stop you here and now…NATSU!" Gray yelled a glacier of devil slaying ice arose from the center of his prison. The ice then began to envelop Natsu, freezing his body solid.

"Solid Script: Purify!" Levy took her pen and wrote the words P-U-R-I-F-Y, and magic ethernano from her pen started to construct into a huge radiant light that wrapped itself around the frozen fire demon.

"Now, it is all up to Natsu to free himself from the demon," Gray announced.

* * *

Natsu began to awaken in the same place where he saw that demon. He had no idea what just happened, after being knocked out by Lullaby who sang some song which caused him to pass out. He didn't understand much on what happened after all, but he seemed to see someone memories with Lullaby. It was kind of boring but it seemed that the memories he saw consisted of them talking to a bunch of other demons.

Natsu then heard a few of his friends voices, encouraging him to try and fight this demon off. He was a little confused with what was going on right now, but he wasn't going to think too hard about it.

"….What is this place…?" That's when he sensed someone behind him. "Hm? Is someone there?"

"It's me, Natsu." Said Lisanna, standing right before him.

"Lisanna!" Natsu needed a second to realize what was happening. Though he still had no idea what was going on, he saw Lisanna and went on to give her a hug.

"Don't get any funny ideas. This is the inside of your heart." Natsu didn't listen and hugged Lisanna…! Only to tumble right through her. "And as such, I have no physical form here." The entity of Lisanna said.

Natsu tumbled around, rubbing the back of his head in annoyance. "Huuuuuh? The inside of my heart?"

"As much as it pains me to admit this…you are trapped in a sleeping curse. And it is for that very reason that I've come here now, to guide you to him, while we fill the gaps of Lullaby memories to you." Lisanna stated.

"…Huh?" Natsu's expression turned serious. He was trapped in a sleeping curse?

"The only way for you to awaken Natsu is to see Lullaby memories," Lisanna explained. As she said this, a small rift appeared off to the side, displaying the images of a black-haired boy creating a flute. "Zeref created the flute in hopes of freeing himself from a terrible curse that was placed on him. Lullaby was also used to help Zeref's strongest demon fall asleep each night."

Another rift then appeared this time, showing Lullaby with other demons fighting against Dragons who were firing off attacks at them. "Lullaby often fought against dragons who fought against mortals and dragons. That was a terrible time in which anyone could lose their lives and people perished daily. Lullaby fought alongside Zeref's strongest demons and they made quick work of some dangerous dragons."

The last rift that Natsu saw, showed Lullaby fighting against two woman, each one bared a striking resemblance to Erza and Lucy. He saw as the two woman managed to defeat the demon and seal it. "Lullaby was sadly defeated by a Celestial Spirit Mage and an Enchantress who sealed him in a flute."

"Are those women related to Lucy and Erza," Natsu asked.

"They're related to your friends, but it is time that you meet him," Lisanna told him as she lead Natsu to him.

* * *

He then saw this huge demonic entity standing in front of him and it was getting ready to defeat them. The demonic entity had a strange black-red color skin, resembling smoldering rocks trapped within heated magma. The demon than had dragon wings sprouting from its back as it face had scales all over it.

 **"** Who in the world are you?"

"I am you and you are me. You are the beginning and I am the end," the voice snarled at him.

"What in the world does that mean," Natsu didn't understand what in the world that demon meant about them being the same.

"We are the same Natsu, both different sides of the same coin. It was quite fun, destroying your guild mates but they managed to capture us in a stand still with that book worm purification spell. I'm getting quite comfortable with this body but I have you to deal with," the demon declared.

"Natsu, get away from that demon," he heard a voice that sounded like Igneel emerged behind them.

He began stepping away from the demon as it smirked at him.

"Igneel, where are you," he yelled at the voice.

"Natsu, there isn't enough time for me to explain everything but you need to take back control of your body, go to the light. This demon is way to strong for you to defeat and all I can do is hold him back for now," Igneel explained.

"A Fairy Tail wizard doesn't back down which mean that I'll help you fight this demon," Natsu declared.

"I will make sure that you go, because even if I couldn't be with my son doesn't mean I can't make sure you're safe." Igneel then grabbed Natsu and threw him to a shining light as he went to fight END.

* * *

The prison of ice that trapped Natsu began to melt as Natsu fell to the ground. Lucy and Happy then ran over to him as he began to regain consciousness.

"Natsu are you okay," Happy asked.

"I'm okay buddy, just a little tired ," Natsu told the blue cat.

"What happened," Lucy asked, she had no idea what a person deals with when they were possessed.

"I honestly don't know how to explain right now."

"Everyone, something seems to be happening to Mira right now," Elfman announced. They all watched as Mirajane body started to be consumed in black energy as a huge shockwave launched everyone back.

"No, it can't be." Lucy could only watch as Mirajane body began to shift from her beautiful self to some hideous demon.

"It is I...Lullaby, the demon of destruction. This girl is the perfect vessel for a demon like me. She wields limitless powers and with me possessing her, I will have unlimited strength and wisdom to defeat everyone. This girl possess various souls from the demon she has taken over which mean that I have all the power she possesses."

"What is happening to Mirajane," Lucy asked.

"I take it that you haven't had many encounters with takeover mages or demons. What Lullaby did to Mirajane right now is almost similar to a high level personality enchantment. Takeover mages like Mirajane and I, usually defeat monsters and we sometime consume their souls. The monsters that we consume soul, enter our body which essentially adds in another personality which is often take over mages can have drastic personality changes. Take over mages have various souls in them which makes it difficult for the mages to control and basically Mirajane needs to stop Lullaby before she loses her body," Elfman explained.

* * *

"We need to free Mirajane everybody before she loses her very soul to that body snatcher. Now everyone I need you to stand with me," Erza declared before rushing towards Mirajane.

Erza's blade blocked Mirajane's incoming claws as the two engaged in a power struggle with Erza on the defensive.

What's wrong Erza?" Mirajane chuckled. "Is that all the power you can muster? You'll never beat me if you continue to hold back, even subconsciously." Mirajane's hands started to crackle with lightning. "Evil Spark!"

Erza was blasted from the sky, but managed to right herself and flew back at Mirajane as she re-quipped to Heaven's Wheel. However, as she neared striking distance she veered away her rival and threw six swords at her with telekinesis. Mirajane dodged all six.

Gathering dark energy, Mirajane thrust her hands forward and exclaimed, "Darkness Stream!"

Erza began ducking and weaving as best she could to avoid Mirajane's incoming dark arms from her attack.

"Trinity Sword!" With the power of her armor, Erza slashed away the darkness only to find Mirajane right behind and above her. Erza turned to fight back only for Mirajane to kick Erza in the face, sending her sliding across the air. Mirajane then followed up on the strike and kneed Erza in stomach as hard as she could, taking the wind out of her.

"Erza are you okay," Lucy asked as she knelt down to help her.

"We need to stop her," Erza grumbled as she was being treated by Lucy and Levy.

"Dimension's Howl!" A swirling blast of darkness was unleashed from Mira's mouth that blasted up towards them, whirling them around like they was caught in a tornado and attacking them with magic damage at the same time.

"It seem like Lullaby is able to tap into Mirajane various demon forms and powers," Elfman noticed. His arm then shifted again and he now was using his thunder bird soul hoping that he could use far range attacks to stop her.

"I refuse to just stand here and allow some demon to take over my older sister and use her to commit dangerous crime. Volt Wing Attack," Elfman then charged at Mirajane, his two wings coated with electricity as he slashed at the demon that took over his sister. Elfman then continued by flapping his wings, watching as a small gust sent the demon a few feet back before firing a bolt of electricity at her.

"Devil's Deathsong!" Mira shouted and blasted Elfman with a vine shaped blast of sound wave energy that sent him sailing towards the imbued with dark energy. Mirajane punched Elfman in the face and then rapidly punched him all along his body before swatting her tail at Elfman and sending him flying across the air.

Mirajane gave chase without letting up and hovered over Elfman. "Extreme speed," Jet began to run fast as he began to be consumed in a red aura as he slammed into Mirajane, sending her hurling towards a tree.

"That was foolish of you Jet, I won't allow a weak mage like you to get another hit on me. Dark blast." Using only one finger to fire the attack, Mirajane sent Jet flying down into the forest where she followed up to a punch in the stomach.

The demon then flew back towards where Erza and the others were. Lucy and Happy were busy trying to help Natsu who was gaining consciousness again while Levy helped heal Erza with her solid script magic.

"Ice Devil's Rage," Gray announced as he releases a large beam of cold air, ice and snow from his mouth, directing it towards Mirajane. Mirajane flipped, gritting her teeth in slight annoyance.

"Inferno Blast!" Mirajane blasted Gray across the air with the condensed, powerful blast of hellfire that started to strike his ice. Covered in hellfire, Gray began to descend towards the ground at an angle.

"I doubt that you will be able to defeat me, I'm a demon of Zeref, demon slayer. Demonic Firebat Swarm!" A group of six bats made entirely of fire, each several times the size of an exceed and all six slammed into Gray. However, only the first two hit Gray. After that, Natsu opened his mouth and began eating the other bats.

"Thanks for the meal Mira, but I can't let you harm our guild mates. Fire Dragon Roar!"

"Radiant Wave Surge!" A thin, wide blast of orange energy barreled from Mirajane, emitting a sound comparable to a clap of thunder.

"Ice Devil Zeroth Destruction Sword!"

The two attacks slammed into each other. Natsu's attack pushed Mirajane's back at first, but Gray added a second layer to their attack and completely overpowered Mirajane's. This forced Mirajane to abandon her attack and fly out of the way.

Gray then fired an arrow at Mirajane who barely managed to avoid it. He then created a lance and threw it at Mirajane who destroyed it with a blast of hellfire.

Mirajane uppercut Gray in the jaw. Gray fell back lightly on his side, but Mirajane zoomed forward and smashed into him with both fists extended, driving them into Gray's stomach. Gray fell on the ground as Mirajane began pelting him with blasts of demonic energy, repeatedly knocking Gray against a tree before charging an attack for a few seconds and ending her combo with a large blast of hellfire.

Mirajane flew forward to drive her fist into Natsu's face, but this time Natsu blocked her. Mirajane watched as Natsu's fist glowed brightly inflames as she then began to furiously swipe at her. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" Natsu punched his flames fist at Mirajane, scoring strike after strike after striker after strike, pushing Mirajane back and leaving festering, boiling wounds in Mirajane's chest as he burned right through the fabric of Mirajane's outfit.

"Dimension's Howl!" Mira unleashed the attack at point blank, sending Natsu flying across the battlefield. Mirajane then slammed into the ground, stomping on Natsu's back and pressing her foot against Natsu's head when Natsu tried to fire a roar, she created a small blast of dark energy with her index and middle finger. It sparked with lightning and she watched as Natsu was getting shocked by lighting.

* * *

Mirajane was confused about what just happened to her, a while ago she just finished using sleep magic on Kageyama and then she took the flute as she waited for the Magic Council, and the next minute she found immobilize by some strange kind of mist that consumed them.

"Where am I," she asked, not knowing where she was as she found himself lying in nothing but a desolate church similar to the one where she first took over her first demon. She then saw a huge tree like figure approach her. The thing was gigantic probably the size of a giant as it started to walk towards her.

"I must say that you have quite the history of despair. You've suffered many losses from your parents to your younger sister and it's quite disappointing that you restrict yourself from using your full power. How about you take a nice slumber for now in your memories and I'll take over for you," Lullaby sung out, sending her unconscious.

* * *

Mirajane then walked over towards Lucy and Levy who were protecting an injured Erza. Lullaby was ready to demolish the blonde girl and the red-haired girl to get revenge for the people that he assumed they were related to that sealed them.

"Lucy we need to protect Erza for now," Levy explained. She then wrote a script spell around Erza that created a huge barrier around her.

"Devil's Deathsong!" Mira shouted and a vine shaped blast of sound wave energy was sailing towards them.

"Solid Script: Silent," Levy quickly wrote the words SILENT which managed to negate the sound wave. She was quite relieved that her script magic was able to negate Mirajane's attack but she needed to be smart if she was going to stand a chance in stopping the possessed Mirajane. She then wrote another script, this time a light spell that she was hoping would blind Mirajane for a few seconds.

"This magic has holy property," Mirajane exclaimed in shock as she closed her eyes.

Lucy saw the opportunity to use her whip, which she managed to wrap around Mirajane's right arm. She then began tightening her hold of her whip as she signaled to Levy to continue their onslaught.

"Solid Script: HOLE," Levy began writing the word H-O-L-E and magic ethernano from her pen started to construct a hole in which Mirajane sunk into.

"Ursa Major it's time," Lucy announced as Ursa Major ran towards Mirajane and fired ice from her claws.

"Solid Script: IRON," Levy began writing the word I-R-O-N and magic ethernano from her pen started to construct a block of iron that rained down on Mirajane.

"That was foolish of me for getting blindsided from your attack. I refuse to allow that to ever happen again," Mirajane announced as black energy consumed her and she was now in her Halphas form.

"Demonic Firebat Swarm!" A group of six bats made entirely of fire, each several times the size of an exceed and all six slammed into Ursa Major, sending her back to the Celestial Spirit Realm.

"I'll protect the two of you now. Seed Bomb," Droy took a few seed from his belt and threw them down at Mirajane, watching as each one began to explode. Mirajane simply used one finger to fire a blast of darkness at Droy.

"Now it is time to defeat a Heartfilia. "Light Bearer!" Mira begins by expelling white light orbs from her palms, which begin levitating around Lucy. "Strike her," Mirajane commanded and with Mira's command, they all fire thin beams of white light that pierce Lucy from several directions.

"Dimension's Howl!" Mira unleashed the attack at point blank, sending Levy and Droy flying across the battlefield.

* * *

"Oh come now Erza. This simply will not do," Mirajane told her. "You're the last person in Fairy Tail to hold back, but not holding back your strength simply isn't going to be enough. I need you to get back up and try your damn hardest in fighting me. You need to fight me like you want to kill me if you hope to defeat me."

"Why do you want me to kill you?" Erza asked.

"I'm your enemy now, duh. I am Lullaby, the servant of the great Lord END . Even if you can't kill me, I can still kill you!" Fist imbued with dark energy, Mirajane punched Erza in the face and then rapidly punched her all along her body before swatting her tail at Erza and sending her flying across the air.

Mirajane gave chase without letting up and hovered over Erza. "Dark blast." Using only one finger to fire the attack, Mirajane sent Erza flying down into the forest where she followed up to attack Erza only for a plethora of sword to come flying up at her.

A few of them grazed Mirajane as Erza came rushing out of the forest and made to slash Mirajane along her stomach. She swung with reverse grip and drew blood.

"You're wrong!" Erza shouted. "You are a mage of Fairy Tail!" Switching to normal grip Erza slashed Mirajane along her shoulder. "You are my comrade and rival. And I will make you see the light! Blumenblatt!" Erza rushed forward, firing twelve swords towards Mirajane.

"Black Shield!" Scattering Erza's swords, Mirajane then appeared right in front of Erza and attacked her by raking her claws down in front of Erza, but she missed. Erza backed up and switched to her Black Wing armor and swung at Mirajane, nearly slicing her in the throat if Mirajane hadn't ducked. Mirajane landed on the tip of Erza's sword and then kicked her in the face before spinning on one leg and whapping Erza in the face with her tail.

"Requip: Flight Armor," Erza then changed into her flight armor. Mirajane then began to fire dark tendrils of darkness at Erza. With its intense speed, she dashed around Mirajane's attack and dashed right towards her.

"Sonic Claw!" With two blades in hand, Erza darted towards Mirajane, unleashing a flurry of sword swings.

Mirajane then charged an attack in her right hand. "Hellfire Beam." A dark blast of energy wreathed in hellfire shot towards Erza at point blank.

 _"She's accessing her Sitri's hellfire magic while in another demon form, which mean that Lullaby has advanced range of her power," Erza thought to herself._ Erza then shifted into her Flame Empress Armor to block the attack with her blade.

"Flame Sphere Blast," she then unleashed a powerful sphere of flames around herself, which then exploded into a blazing inferno that consumed Mirajane.

"Behold the power of true darkness," Mirajane chanted as she tapped her claws together and three runic circles revolved around her. "Goetia." A blast of powerful dark energy blasted Erza. Mirajane repeated the attack three more times, hoping to make some sort of progress.

Erza then shifted into her Morning Star Empress and pointed her swords at Mirajane stomach, sending a huge blast of light at Mirajane.

"Light Globe!" Erza said as she sent a beam of light at Mirajane.

"Light Bearer!" Mira begins by expelling white light orbs from her palms, which begin levitating around Erza. "Strike her," Mirajane commanded and with Mira's command, they all fire thin beams of white light that pierce Erza from several directions.

 _"She's accessing her Halphas's soul, and is using it light magic to make this armor ineffective against her."_

Realizing she'd need way more power, Erza switched to her Purgatory armor. As the attacks clashed, Erza realized she had now evened up the odds against her opponent. With every swing, a shockwave emitted and she and Mira were evenly matched blow for blow.

"Feel the burden of your existence," She conjured a swirling ball of death above her head before throwing it at edge, "Heavenly Demon Destruction!" The blast several times stronger than her Evil Explosion ripped through the air towards Erza . With a swing of her mace she deflected the attack.

"Mirajane I'm going to free you from this demon possession. I'm going to bring you back to the guild. Judgement Layer!" Erza said, as her mace made a massive cut, whose shockwave made a massive cut on the ground after it was hit on Mirajane, sending her to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

Mirajane began to awaken in a forest clearing . She had no idea what just happened, after being knocked out by Lullaby who sang some song which caused her to pass out. She didn't understand much on what happened after all, but she saw Lullaby's memories.

Mirajane then heard a few of her friends voices, encouraging her to try and fight this demon off.

"….What is this place…?" That's when she sensed someone behind him. "Hm? Is someone there?"

"It's me, Mira-nee." Said Lisanna, standing right before her.

"Lisanna!" Mirajane saw Lisanna and went on to give her a hug.

"Don't get any funny ideas. This is the inside of your heart." Mirajane didn't listen and hugged Lisanna…! Only to tumble right through her. "And as such, I have no physical form here." The entity of Lisanna said before vanishing. The setting then changed to the church.

"I've… been here before."

"I'm glad you remember." Mira turned to the familiar voice and saw Beelzebub approaching her. "It's been 7 years, hasn't it?"

"This was where I beat you." Mira said in remembrance. "Where I fought you."

"Yes." Beelzebub stated in a cold tone.

"Despite being a mere child, you managed to weaken me, then kill me."

"My Take-Over magic activated that day," Mira stated. "Causing your soul to be absorbed into me.

"That's right. And since then we were fused."

"Why should I take orders from a foolish master?" As she said this, green scales started to form on Beelzebub's skin

"F-foolish?"

"Yes. What else to call a human that hastily pick up a demonic flute of Zeref? What else to call a human that knows that demons can take over them through object? What else to a human that is still haunted by her past that she restrains her full power?!"

As she said this, Beelzebub's body began changing away from Mira's image. Scale-covered ridges formed on her back and popped through the purpled one-piece. Both her breasts and her bellybutton shrank until they were nonexistent. Her mane of white hair turned into oily-charcoal black streams that rivered down her neck. Her lower-jaw rose up to become an underbite, with two yellow incisors coming from under the lip.

"There is a rule for take-over wizards. Do you know it?" Beelzebub questioned. Mira fearlessly nodded as she posed herself for combat.

"A Take-Over must be strong. Otherwise, she will be deposed by the souls she sought to conquer."

"You must gain the strength to go up against Lullaby and recover your body. Your friends managed to defeat you but a part of Lullaby's soul remain inside you. What's beyond this area is where Lullaby lies and I will warn you that Lullaby will use your past against you."

Another familiar voice appeared behind her. "Mirajane this demon of Zeref's will do all in its power to make sure that you give up your body. We can't assist you in there which mean you're going to need to find the strength to push out an Etherious out of your soul," Halphas told her.

Halphas had dark blue scales- covered ridges formed on the side of her back and popped through the blue one-piece. Both her breasts and her bellybutton shrank until they were nonexistent as they were covered with scales. Her mane of hair turned into oily-gray streams that rivered down her neck. Her lower-jaw rose up to become an overbite, with two light blue incisors coming from under the lip.

"I have to confront Lullaby because if I don't I will just be a pawn to be used to kill my loved ones. I refuse to allow some Etherious to make me kill the guild masters and my guild mates after they accepted me." Mirajane then clenched her fist and walked past the demons into where Lullaby was at.

* * *

The moment Mira walked through, she found herself in a large forest clearing. "This place, this is where Elfman lost control…"

"I saw that day through your memories." Lullaby taunted as she landed in front of her. "You were afraid. Afraid of losing Lisanna like you lost your parents. Afraid of your brother suffering the same way as you have. Or rather, afraid of you suffering the same way again."

"I wasn't able to save her." Mira gritted, blood coming from her lip, as she listened to the demon berating. A rift in space appeared which showed that terrible night that Lisanna vanished.

"You sadly couldn't save your sister that day and look at what you have become. You're nothing now, all you are is a pathetic S-class who can't even use your full power. You used to be strong and people used to fear you but now you're a joke," Lullaby mocked.

"I'm okay with being a joke because ever since I've received my powers, I've been seen as a monster. I have had people throw rocks at me in my village because people thought I was an abomination. I was run out of my village and my siblings helped me overcome this thought of being a monster."

"Mirajane, you are weak and pathetic. So pathetic that you couldn't even save your sister from your brother who couldn't even perform a full-body take over. You are nothing but an utter disgrace to any demon with how you've given up exercising your magic, you should be aiming to be the strongest mage in the world."

"I'm fine with being weak because I'm going to find a way to save my sister and reunite my family together. I'm going to defeat you and make sure that I don't harm the guild masters."

"I'm going to destroy you and take your soul."

* * *

"What happened," Kageyama announced as he woke up from the sleep spell.

"Finally, it's over," Lucy stated, sighing at the relief.

"In that case," Levy said, turning to Elfman, Mirajane and Gray. "We need to take you guys to a hospital."

"Enough," A morbid voice pulled everyone's attention to the fallen flute, now spewing smoke. "I have grown tired of you pathetic wizards.!"

Everyone was now startled at the recent revelation of the flute. "The smoke!" Lucy shouted. "It's taking on a shape!"

"I'll eat you myself!" The smoke shouted, beginning to solidify. "Your souls...belong to me!" The smoke took the form of a two-story tall wood monster, with a hollow center and a three eye skull for a head. While the demon emerged, a tree-like prison consumed Mirajane.

"What the hell!" Gray shouted. Everyone, from the group, stared in shock at the monstrosity.

"How?" Kage asked. "Erigor never said anything about this!"

"It's a demon from the book of Zeref!" Jet shouted.

"I have waited too long," Lullaby shouted. "so I shall devour your souls!"

"Like hell!" Natsu shouted. "Wait! Souls are edible?! Do they even taste good?!" He asked his Exceed partner.

"That's not a question we should be asking!" Gray shouted.

"Now…" Lullaby growled. "Whose soul shall be devoured first. Eenie, Meenie, Minee- All of you!" She began charging up her attack in her mouth.

"We need to stop Lullaby," Erza declared as she requipped into her Black Wing Armor.

In an act of courage, Erza, Natsu and Gray rushed towards Lullaby's leg.

"Moon Flash," Erza began flying with her wings and she poured energy into her sword as a violet aura wrapped itself around her blade as she attempted to slash at Lullaby who blocked her with its vine-like arms.

"Ice make: Lance," Numerous frozen lances ejected from the seal, flying out from various angles to strike and converge on Lullaby who shattered them with its sound.

"Fire Dragon Roar," He began to gather the ethernano in his body which started to convert itself into fire. He then yelled, and a stream of fire erupted aimed at the demon, who in quick retaliation created a huge barrier to protect itself.

"Flaming sludge fist," Elfman fists began to be coated with flames as his take over began to secrete sludge mixing into the flames and he then tried swinging at Lullaby who used its vines to swat Elfman to a tree.

"Solid Script: IRON," Levy began writing the word I-R-O-N and magic ethernano from her pen started to construct a block of iron that rained down on Lullaby who knocked it down with it arm.

"Extreme speed," Jet began to run fast as he began to be consumed in a red aura as he ran into Lullaby who used its leg to knock him to the ground.

"Seed Bomb," Droy took a few seed from his belt and threw them down at Lullaby, watching as each one began to explode.

"Dimension's Howl!" A swirling blast of darkness was unleashed from Lullaby's mouth that blasted up towards them, whirling them around like they was caught in a tornado and attacking them with magic damage at the same time.

"Devil's Deathsong!" Lullaby shouted and blasted them with a vine shaped blast of sound wave energy that sent them sailing towards the imbued with dark energy.

* * *

Lullaby growled and strikes at her, forcing Mira to block using her arms. She thrusted her arm at the human, but Mira was able to redirect the palm upward, releasing a river of black magic into the air. Lullaby then started to fire a huge beam of magic at Mira who barely managed to move out of the way.

"Dimension's Howl!" A swirling blast of darkness was unleashed from Lullaby's mouth that blasted up towards Mirajane, whirling Mira around like she was caught in a tornado and attacking her with magic damage at the same time. Mirajane was hurled to the ground and she struggled to get back up. She didn't know how she could defeat Lullaby since she had no access to her demon souls but she had to figure out a way to stop this demon.

"Devil Deathsong!" Lullaby shouted and blasted her with a vine shaped blast of sound wave energy that sent her sailing to the ground.

* * *

Lucy began to realize that Lullaby was blocking each of their individualized attack and she suspected that if two of them attacked at different areas at the same time that they could defeat it. She know a basis of what magic Lullaby seemed to be using which was sound and then attacking with its arms. She was not going to be just waiting for them to finish Lullaby and she wanted to make a good impression for Erza to like her.

Lucy took out a silver key from her belt before placing enough of her magic energy to the key hoping to open the gate. "Open, Gate of the Furnace, Fornax," Lucy chanted as a silver magic circle appeared from her key.

"I was working on a new recipe for a strawberry dessert, but what can I do to help?"

"I'm going to need your help so hit it with all the fire your oven has." Lucy asked.

Fornax nodded to the metal oven and it flew forwards towards Lullaby. The oven spouted a torrent of fire at Lullaby who used intense sound to cancel it out.

Lucy thought for a second and wondered if her spirit Lyra would be able to cancel out Lullaby's sound magic? If it was possible than she hoped that it would make the battle go a little easier. The only problem that Lucy had was that she was only allowed to summon Lyra three times a month and it was only on weird days. Today was technically not a day that she was allowed to summon her which was making it a little difficult. She was however given permission to use Lyra's partial summoning at any time that she needed.

"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Lyra!" She chanted as Lyra magic began to spread through her body.

By pooling magic into her hands, an orb of light generated around each clenched fist. It wasn't enough to cause any real damage but was easily enough to see by. She propped open the Gate nearly all the way, and more and more essence of the immortal spirit Lyra the Harp, poured into her.

Her glossy blonde hair, which was undone was put into braids. It shimmered in light like a summoning spirit, and after a moment shone strawberry blonde like Lyra and her outfit changed to a dress that looked similar to Lyra's as wings emerged from the back. She had in her hand a harp that was similar to the one that Lyra used.

"How irritating!" Lullaby roared as it shoot out sound blasts towards Natsu. Happy grabbed onto his partner and the two manage to dodge it, but now it was heading towards Lucy and the others.

Before it could hit them, Levy jumped in the way. "Solid Script:" She wrote a term with her pen. "B-L-O-C-K!" A large "block" appeared in front of them, and it held back the intense attack before fading.

"Everyone I have an idea of how we can defeat Lullaby," Lucy declared.

"Well lets hear it," Erza announced, hoping that they could figure out a way to defeat the demon.

"Okay I'm pretty sure that Lullaby knows how we all fight due to possessing Mirajane for a bit. This means that we need to overwhelm Lullaby enough so that it can't anticipate our attacks. Erza, Gray, Natsu and Fornax, I need you all to take different sides of it upper torso and arms and try to strike at it so that it can't produce any sounds. I need Elfman and Jet to strike at Lullaby's leg in order to make it difficult for Lullaby's to move. Droy, I need you to use your plants to attack Lullaby's weak points. Levy, could you please provide support to everyone while I try to my best to negate Lullaby sound for now," Lucy instructed.

"We might as well see if it will work or not," Gray said.

* * *

"Melody of despair," Lullaby announced as it started to release a huge amount of sound at them.

"I'll handle this attack. Let see if the concerto of hope can counter this," Lucy announced as she started to play her harp. She continued to move her hands on the strings and soon her attack was beginning to cancel out Lullaby.

"Solid Script: SHINE." That was when Levy wrote the words S-H-I-N-E, and magic ethernano from her pen started to construct into a huge radiant light that forced Lullaby to close its eyes.

"Ice make: Lance," Numerous frozen lances ejected from the seal, flying out from various angles to strike and converge on Lullaby left side, some of the lances piercing its arm.

"Fire Dragon Roar," He began to gather the ethernano in his body which started to convert itself into fire. He then yelled, and a stream of fire erupted aimed at the demon, who was in pain from the ice lances that pierced it body.

"Blumenblatt!" Erza flew towards Lullaby right upper torso and she rushed forward, firing thirteen swords towards Lullaby. Her swords pierced through its right side and its arm making it clench its side.

"Fire Stream," Fornax yelled as it fired streams of flames which burned through Lullaby arm.

"Delta Triangle," Jet quickly began to race around Lullaby forming a triangle. The magic energy in his legs began to take form of a destructive shockwave that struck Lullaby's right leg.

"Flaming sludge fist," Elfman fists began to be coated with flames as his take over began to secrete sludge mixing into the flames and he then swung at Lullaby's left leg.

"Vine Whip," Droy took a few seed from his belt and threw them down at Lullaby, watching as each one began to turn into vines which started to strike Lullaby causing it to fall.

Everyone continued to strike at Lullaby doing their best to make sure that it couldn't produce any more sound.

"Lullaby of death," Lullaby announced as it started trying to release sound only to learn that none was coming out.

"I guess they were able to make holes in Lullaby," Happy pointed out.

* * *

The moment Mira walked through, she found herself in the guild hall.

Lullaby sent a storm of dark projectiles at Mira, who leaped behind one of the guild's table and used it to block them. Mira kept on dodging Lullaby's attack by hiding under the table.

"You are weak Mirajane and all you can do is hide like the little scared girl you are. How about I put you out of your misery? Lullaby of death," Lullaby announced as it started trying to release sound only to learn that none was coming out.

"What in the world is happening," Mira looked up to see that it couldn't release any sound.

"Those damn fairies must have put a hole through my body but it shouldn't have effected my soul," Lullaby pondered. She moved forward with vines extended, slashing at Mira, who couldn't dodge as numerous cuts covered her frame.

"Elfman and the others must have figured out a way to defeat Lullaby. Which mean that I need to help them," she declared.

"Your weakness, Mirajane is that your past will always hold you down." As Mira stepped forward, she felt a weight on her arms. Looking down, she saw numerous vines attached to each of her limbs as it tightened around her making it difficult to move.

Mira screamed as she ran towards her. But the vines slowed her enough for Lullaby to move out of her path then kick her at the sides.

* * *

 _"_ Everyone it's time to take down Lullaby, so aim at the heart and hit it with your best spells," Erza declared.

"Solid Script: Laser!" Levy began writing the word L-A-S-E-R and magic ethernano from her pen started to construct a tiny red laser which pierced Lullaby's heart.

"Magical Leaves," Droy took a few seed from his belt and threw them down at Lullaby, watching as each seed turned into leaves that struck at Lullaby.

"Extreme speed," Jet began to run fast as he began to be consumed in a red aura as he slammed into Lullaby, causing him to stagger.

"Manly Flaming Sludge blast," Elfman fists began to be coated with flames as his take over began to secrete sludge mixing into the flames and he then fired a huge blast at Lullaby.

"Night Slash," Erza sword started to glow bright violet and she then flew right behind it before slamming the sword into Lullaby neck. She then watched as Lullaby staggered for a second before she fired a huge blast of violet energy at it.

"Firaga," Fornax shouted as a huge ball of fire was launched from the oven at Lullaby.

"Peaceful melody," A string of melodies started to strike Lullaby.

"With the flames of my left fist and the flames of my right fist joined together. Fire Dragon Brilliant Flames," Natsu ignites both his hands in flames and then brought them together, creating a fiery explosion.

* * *

 _"I can't lose to Lullaby here. I need to get out and find Lisanna. I must say the guild masters!"-_

She stopped when the image of Lisanna and Elfman flashed in her head. Then an image of her guildmates.

And then she remembered Lisanna funeral, a haunting memory from long ago. She saw the defeated state of her guildmates, her brother, as they were by Lisanna's grave.

 _"No, I can't die here. I can't let Elfman suffer like that! "I'll live for my family!_ " With that she used her elbows to deflect Lullaby's attacks, startling the demon enough for Mira to move back.

* * *

"Ice Devil Zeroth Destruction Bow," Gray created an intricate bow made of ice and fires an arrow from it at high speeds. When the arrow makes contact, it turns into a spiky array of ice that destroyed Lullaby causing it to explode.

* * *

Mira then grabbed the vines at her arm with the opposite hand and swung the end around. "Even if my past weighs me down, I won't let it slow me down. I'll get strong enough to carry it with me!" With that, she threw the vines at Lullaby. The demon tried to leap away, but to her surprise it wrapped around her right arm, allowing Mira to pull her forward, then pin her to ground.

Mira stared relentlessly at Lullaby as she spoke. "I'm leaving here, Lullaby." She then grabbed onto Lullaby and her body glowed as she consumed Lullaby's soul.

* * *

The tree-based prison stood still when suddenly it began to shake. Cracks began to form on the bark, and a crack louder than any thunder was heard when the wooden prison broke apart, revealing Mira.

"Big sister," Elfman cheered as he hugged Mirajane.

 _"So they're Fairy Tail's Strongest Team_." Kage thought. He was admiring the strength of the eight wizards, the latter saying their praises out loud. Tears filled Kage's eyes, now realizing the strength of a true guild.

They then began to here footsteps approaching them.

An army of men approached the wizards, each wearing a white robe covered by a teal

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lahar, Captain of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit of the Magic Council." The voice from before said, coming from the man with glasses.

"Accompanying me is Miss Angela, Captain of the Zentopia Church Clerical Unit of the Nirvits. With her is her apprentice Miss Wendy Marvell. We came here to arrest the members of Eisenwald. We will briefly need to hear what in the world happened here but then you will all be free to go. We will grant you your reward once the prisoners are all in jail," Lahar explained.

"Hello my name is Angela and this is my apprentice Wendy. We are warrior nuns of the Zentopia Church and we came here to heal you all after you bravely defeated a dark guild and a demon from the book of Zeref."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

* * *

The events of Lullaby somehow spread all over Fiore. It has been four days since the Eisenwald guild tried to commit murder on the Guild Masters with the Dark Warlock Zeref's magical Flute, Lullaby. Luckily Fairy Tail managed to defeat the Dark Guild and the demon itself with Fairy Tail's finest demon take-over mage consuming the soul of the demon. The story of this incredible adventure was able to even reach the Magic Council.

"Even though the Eisenwald guild has been defeated" The head chancellor said. "but that is only one small victory in a much greater battle. The true problem of the dark guilds has not been dealt with."

"The number of dark guilds has been growing at quite the alarming rate."

"We have to come up with a plan to eliminate them all and destroy the Balam Alliance."

"We should just wipe them out altogether." councillor Michello stated.

"How would we do that?"

"Does it matter?" A councillor with a creature on his head growled. "Eisenwald manage to use Zeref's magic, a taboo that can't be repeated." He pulled out the flute Lullaby from his cloak, now sealed in a transparent box. "We can't allow any of them even access one of them."

"Yes but the question still remains, just how did a low-level guild like Eisenwald manage to get their hands on such forbidden magic?" The question was posed by Belno, the only female member of the council.

"That **is** quite the conundrum." Voiced Yajima, another senior member of the council. "I'd thought all of Zeref's magical tools has been lost ages ago."

"At one point, all of Zeref's artifacts were lost but someone must know of some location for these demons to begin resurfacing," Byro Cracy councilmen and representative of the Zentopia Church and Magic Council joint program.

"We need to get someone to interrogate these wizards so that we can figure out where dark guilds are discovering these artifacts of Zeref's."

"We can't allow any of them even access one of them."

"I think the real reason you all are upset," A blue haired councillor with a mark stated. "Is that not only Eisenwald found it under our noses, but Fairy Tail, the real problem, was the one that fix that mess."

"You're pushing dangerous grounds, Siegrain!" The other councilor shouted.

"Please calm down, Org-san," A black-haired woman consoled. "He's only saying the truth we don't want to say."

"That may be, Ultear, but the real worry," An older woman said worriedly. "Is how bloodthirsty that group of Fairies are becoming." She raised her hand and holographic images of the eight Fairy Tail wizards appeared.

"Bloodthirsty?" A short wizard with a three spike hat. "I think, Belno, that they acted that way only because they wanted to protect the guild masters. They did take the mission legally and perform quite admirably even if Lullaby did awaken. They did manage to seal the demon back up."

"Protect! Yajima, they're nothing more than monsters!" A cat-like man shouted. "That demon Strauss caused one of the dark wizards to almost suffer organ failure! The Dragneel boy used a technique on another that would be consider torture! The monster Strauss brute gave a third a near fatal wound! That, Scarlet woman caused many Eisenwald members to end up in full body cast and who knows what happened to Erigor! That McGarden girl almost killed one of the dark wizards. And the Heartfilia girl, she-"

"That's enough, Michello." The chairman commanded.

"Did he say… Heartfilia?" Yajima muttered curiously under his breath.

"Michello raised an important point, Chairman Seam." Org stated. "Fairy Tail has already cause problems with their recklessness, and now this team is only on a line above violent vigilantism. We must show that the council still cannot be taken lightly by anyone."

"And how do suppose we do that?"

Org raised a staff towards the projection of Mira and Erza. "You want to take down the beast, grab it by the head."

* * *

Mirajane was patiently waiting in the Beautifully Broken psychology clinic for an appointment with her psychologist. She was quietly humming a tune as she waited for her weekly appointment. Ever since, Mirajane lost Lisanna in the beast accident, she was told by the Master to get all the help she could. It turned that her psychologist helped her a lot and she was felt that she was becoming a better person because of it.

"Mirajane, I'm ready to see you," a nice middle age blonde woman with glasses announced as she appeared from the doorway. Her psychologist dealt with mages and helped counsel them to cope with the dangerous life of a mage.

"Hello, Mirajane how are you doing," her psychologist Linda asked her.

"I'm doing okay, just a little worried with all the things that happened on my last mission," Mirajane informed her. She then started to recap the Lullaby mission and everything that happened in her perspective.

"I see, so a part of you is worried about your guild mates and all the things they might have went through. It's a good thing that you and your guild mates managed to save them before Eisenwald did anything fatal to them."

"I'm glad we were able to save them before anything terrible happened to them. I guess, I'm just terrified that I won't have enough strength to protect my brother and my guildmates. All I know is that I was terrified when I learned that assassin managed to capture my brother and guild mates in his spatial dimension. The moment I found out, a part of me just wanted to keep on recklessly throwing attacks at him in hopes that I could stop him but I also didn't know how to save my family. I just feel so weak," Mira confessed as she clenched her fist.

"Mira, it's okay to feel weak, you need to take in accounts that you practically been inactive for two years, only sometimes going on missions so it comes to no surprise to me that you don't feel as powerful as you used to be. Maybe you should try training more of your magic core so that you can get stronger as well as go on missions to train more."

"I'm just a little worried about everything, that demon of Zeref somehow managed to possess me for just a bit and I hurt my guildmates. I haven't taken over a demon in a while and I'm scared of the possibility of what could have happened if they didn't manage to save me," Mira mentioned. She was beyond terrified of what she did when that Etherious somehow managed to take over her body. Another beast accident could have occurred if it wasn't for her guildmates smart choices and she hated herself for being in that situation again.

"Mira, you shouldn't be ashamed of yourself. Didn't you managed to take over the demon in the end? I bet that once you manage to figure out how to control that demon, you'll be stronger than ever. After all, it was a demon of Zeref which mean that it's most likely going to be a struggle to control, but you're much than you give yourself credit."

"Thanks Linda, I'm just worried about everything that happened. The Rune Knights never managed to capture that Alvarez assassin and his power honestly scared me. He was able to go toe to toe with both Erza and I and that usually doesn't happen. He mentioned that he wanted to bring upon a Grand Magic World and set Zeref up as their leader."

"The Grand Magic World, huh, it's a phrase I've heard a few times from dark mages in rehabilitation programs. It's supposedly a goal of the Balam Alliance and what they believe will occur once they have Zeref. However, it is not suprising that assassin is strong, after all he is from Alvarez which has powerful dark guild plague its land. Their military of that continent is top notch in strength and supposedly they're forming a group of powerful mages known as the Spriggan. There are only four official members but rumor has it that they are training a few more to rise in rank. The Alvarez empire has bad relation with our kingdom and they're just as terrifying as the mages of Giltena," Linda mentioned.

"Giltena, isn't that the dark continent that seperates our country from Alvarez? I remember, hearing a rumor of a cult dedicated to a supposed white witch that had the power to restrict magic. Two years ago, after the beast accident, I was actually planning on finding the White Witch to seal my magic but the Master intervened and snapped me out of it."

"So, you've heard of the Liberius cult that worship the White Witch, I see. I've only heard rumors but Giltena supposedly have monsters that could destroy all of Fiore in seconds. Not many mages can survive in Giltena, even if it is home to the first magic guild."

"Anyway, you should head down to the guild, we're going to have a fight between Natsu and Erza soon," Mirajane mentioned as she got ready to leave.

* * *

A few miles away in Magnolia, a blonde-haired girl was in the midst of writing a letter.

 _"Dear Mom, Eisenwald's failed attempts to attack the guild masters using Lullaby ended up being big news. It made all the papers, and it seemed like everybody was talking about it. Before joining Fairy Tail, I never would have imagined. I'd be part of such a big event. It feels awesome, but I'm not going to let it go to my head. It still makes my heart skip a beat when I think about everything we went through. The authorities caught most of the Eisenwald members who were involved. We even met this nice little Zentopia nun and her apprentice who helped heal us after the mission. The authorities even managed to get a hold of Kageyama, so that's reassuring at least. The scary thing is Erigor and Jacob escaped and the authorities still haven't been able to track them down. I'm worried that they might show up at Fairy Tail, looking for revenge. But I'll be okay, cause I'm with the guild's strongest team. Erza, Gray, and Natsu have my back, no matter what. And not to mention Happy, Team Shadowgear and the Strauss family as well. Fairy Tail is awesome, and my fellow members are really great people. So don't worry, Mom. I'm doing fine._

 _P.S. Please don't tell Dad any of this, kay?"_

 _"_ Maybe I'll do a little shopping later today. Saving the world from evil is cool and all, but sometimes it's nice just to relax at home.

"Man, 70,000 jewel a month is dirt-cheap for a place like this," she heard a familiar voice say in her house.

"You totally scored Lucy," Gray announced as he sat on her couch in his underwear.

"Intruder alert!"

Lucy then lunged a kick at Gray," No stripping in my house, buddy."

Gray raised his hands in surrender. "Hey give me a second to explain." Lucy stopped her attack. "I stripped before I came in." The ice mage finished.

"That doesn't make it better!" She pinched her forehead. "Get out."

"I just came in case you forgot what happening today." Lucy raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Knew you would forget. Didn't you hear what Natsu asked Erza during the mission."

* * *

The two manage to arrive outside the guildhall in time, where a large cheering crowd was gathered around Natsu and Erza , both with fierce expressions in their eyes.

"Place your bets!" Cana shouted, kneeling by a tally board with the combatant's names. "Does the Dragon Slayer have a chance against our Titania? How long will he last in the ring?"

"Is this a good idea?" Lucy asked Mira as the former made it to the front.

"Hi, Lucy," The white-haired girl said. "And don't worry, both are serious about this."

"Of course they would be," Elfman said excitedly. "If they weren't they wouldn't be real men!"

"You do know Erza is a girl, right?" Mira chuckled.

"But Erza is still quite manly," Macao mentioned.

"But still," Lucy continued. "A fight between two members of Fairy Tail's strongest team couldn't-"

"Strongest?" Elfman interrupted raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, Natsu, Gray, Erza and Mira are Fairy Tail's strongest."

"Wait," Gray said, smirking. "You think the four of us are the strongest. Where did you get that silly idea?" He did not notice a depressed aura covering Mirajane until she started crying.

"Ah!" Gray said startled. "It was you Mirajane? I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"You better apologize to her like a man, Gray." Elfman gruffed. "Anyway, Natsu and Gray all have great manliness, but they are still stronger men."

"For example, the strongest wizard would be our master." Mira added. "He did not obtain the title of Wizard Saint for no reason."

"Then there is Gildart, Fairy Tail's ace." Gray said. "He's the only one that comes close to Master. He take's missions far place S-Class level. It'll be rare to actually see him yourself."

"I agree with Erza being the strongest," Levy said. "Actually, she and Mira are tied as Fairy Tail's strongest female mages, both S-Class mages."

"You gotta feel lucky they're not rivals anymore, Lucy," Cana shouted. "They were as bad as Flamehead and Stripe-a-lot back then. A fight between them now could end all of Fiore." Cana laughed as Lucy gulped.

"Don't exaggerate, Cana." Mira said sternly.

"Last there's the last three S-Classes, and they are as manly as Erza and Nee-San," Elfman finished. "Laxus and Mystogan, are the strongest men in our generation. However there is another wizard from Macao and Wakaba generation, that is stronger that all of us and that is Gildarts"

"I said that your team would be the strongest, because you five could get along perfectly." Mira said wiping her tears.

"But Natsu and Gray are always fighting." Lucy deadpanned.

"Anyway, this battle will still be interesting." Levy said.

"You bet, I'm expecting Erza to wipe the floor with Natsu." Gray grinned.

The glares in the two combatants grew, both ready to begin.

* * *

- **0** -

Lucy and the others decided to hold off on catching up, turning their full attention to the grand event about to start. For a brief instant, she thought she noticed Loke gazing at her from directly across the plain, partially obstructed by Macao and Wakaba. However, the ladykiller shifted his head, his glasses catching the sun's glare to hide his eyes.

"This is it, Erza," Natsu grinned, putting his fists together. "I'm not the kid you used to beat up on when we were younger anymore. I'm due for some payback."

"I admire your resolve," Erza's lips raised slightly at she complimented him. "Show me how much you've closed the gap between us."

As soon as the suspense grew to unbearable levels, Makarov dropped his arm, and jumped out of the way. "Begin!"

Natsu wasted no time. His fists and feet trailed fire as he dashed at Erza with a grin. He swung at her, flames scattering as his blow missed its target. Erza hopped over him, her whole body enveloped in a glow as flipped through the air.

"Requip!" she shouted. She landed, immediately blocking Natsu's follow-up kick with her forearm. The blaze around his foot seemed to have no effect on the new armor she had summoned, a red, orange and black leotard ensemble that granted her a crimson sword and pigtails. The gauntlet around her arm easily withstood against the boy's magic, even as he upped the heat.

"How'd she change so fast?" Lucy asked, astonished. She'd heard tales of Erza's unprecedented abilities in the time leading up to the fight, but she'd never witnessed a transformation so instantaneous. She'd thought the Take Overs she'd seen used by Lisanna and Mira had been quick, but they were a drawn-out process when timed against the strongest woman in Fairy Tail.

"That's the power of The Knight, Erza's unique style of Requip Magic," Happy chirped. "She can change her armor and weapons faster than, well, just about anything. It's one of the things that makes her so special!"

"What she's wearing now, that's Flame Empress Armor," Gray said, smirking at his rival's misfortune. "Its defenses halve the strength of Fire Magic. If Natsu had any prayer of winning before, it's gone now."

"Don't count him out just yet," Happy replied with a faithful frown. "That armor also gives Erza fire-based attacks, which are completely useless against Natsu. It's not exactly a stalemate, but it's not the advantage you might think it is."

The Dragon Slayer knew of the effects of Erza's armaments, but he only grinned at the challenge it presented. The audience could feel the heat radiating off of his flames, sending waves with every punch and kick he threw. Erza weaved around most of his strikes and absorbed the others with her bracers, leg guards, and sword, playing defense while lashing out at the most opportune moments.

Lucy was told that her blade could be lit tremendously ablaze, but such a technique would be detrimental against someone who'd be revitalized from consuming fire. Instead she used it as a normal weapon, slicing at Natsu without any of its magical properties when she found a lapse in his movements. The boy's tireless motor and superb battle instincts helped him narrowly evade having his blood spilled, but pieces of his clothes were drifting along in the breeze.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu cried out, sucking in a lungful of air. Erza readied her sword to ward off his firebreathing, but was momentarily surprised when he instead aimed his attack at the ground, a few feet from where she stood. The small explosion sent bits of grass, dirt and embers afloat in a haze of smoke, giving him the screen to try a rolling kick from above her head.

With inhuman reflexes, Erza parried the blow with the flat side of her weapon. She used his momentum against him, repelling him several yards away with a great swing. Natsu landed gracefully, the crowd cheering vehemently at the show they were putting on.

"I'm impressed by the levels you've gained in power," Erza said, nodding her head. "But now that I feel I've properly gauged your new-found strength, there's no need to continue on. I'll end this here." Another flash of light saw her Flame Empress gear Requipped with a silver armor, a beautiful metallic design reminiscent of an angel.

"Heaven's Wheel Armor," Mira commented with a glint in her eyes. "Now she's gotten serious."

"So this whole time she's been holding back?" Lucy asked. She knew for a fact that Natsu was an absolute terror, but at no point did he seem to have been winning the fight. And that was against an opponent who wasn't even giving it their all? The S-Class Wizards of Fairy Tail were truly a sight to behold.

Lucy's awe only grew as Erza began to rise up, kept airborne by her set of four steel wings. A number of lights began to appear around her, molding into an array of swords. "Dance, my blades," she commanded, the weapons forming a ring that spun around her with extreme velocity. She raised the pair of swords in her hands in the next step of her attack, but she never unleashed it on the braced Natsu.

"Stop this fight immediately!" an unfamiliar croaking was aimed towards the combatants. The whole guild looked around for its owner, until a parting opened up to allow a tall, anthropomorphic frog in official's robes to enter the designated battleground. "Erza Scarlet!"

"What is the meaning of this?" Makarov demanded of their intruder. His frown deepened when he recognized her species, and who they were the signature employees of. The symbol on her garb left no question about who was behind her sudden appearance.

"I am here on behalf of Master Siegrain of the Magic Council!" the frog announced, eliciting a gasp from the guild members before they could begin to boo her for interfering with the match. "He wishes to speak with Erza Scarlet. I will escort her to the Council's Fiore Branch Headquarters, effective immediately. Compliance with this request is obligatory."

"What could Siegrain want with Erza?" Levy asked, the question that was being whispered across the crowd.

"Siegrain," Lucy tried the name out on her tongue. She knew he was a high-profile character, but wanted to be sure she wasn't mistaking him for someone else. "He's the youngest person to ever join the Magic Council, and be named to the Ten Wizard Saints, right?"

As she got her confirmation from her friends around her, a perturbed Erza returned to her default armor. Natsu put out the flames on his body, and positioned himself in her way, blocking her off from the Council's messenger. "What's the deal, Erza? How does this Siegrain guy know you?" He could see the hurting on her visage as soon as it had been revealed who had sent for her. Anything or anyone that caused that reaction from her left a bad taste in his mouth.

Her swept bangs covered her right eye as she gave him an apologetic smile, trying to set him at ease. "I'm sorry about this, Natsu. Perhaps we can finish this at a later time," she said, sounding uncomfortably unlike the young woman of renowned strength she was.

Without another word, Erza walked past Natsu and joined the Council's envoy. She nodded to Makarov, who, while appearing stern in the face of confusion, nodded back in a show of support. The frog placed a webbed hand on Erza's plated shoulder, then the two vanished completely, leaving only crushed grass beneath where their feet had been just a second ago.

 **\- 0 -**

The first thing Erza saw after leaving Magnolia was a long hallway. Her escort lead her down the blue-tiled floor, until they came to a set of grand antique double doors. The frog bowed to her and teleported away again, leaving her alone to face the man inside the room.

She took a deep breath, then lifted an arm to knock, signifying her arrival. She paused, clenching and unclenching her fist repeatedly as she stalled the inevitable. Finally, before she could rap against one of the wooden doors, they slowly opened forward without so much as a creak. Erza looked inside the study, finding portraits and bookshelves lining the walls. A large desk sat at the other end of the room, but no one was behind it.

She hesitated again before stepping inside, making her way to the chair before the desk. Stiffly setting herself in the rich velvet cushioning, she attempted to remain expressionless when a figure began to develop in the seat opposite her. A moment later, a handsome young man with blue hair and a distinct tattoo around his right eye had finished appearing.

"Erza," he spoke with a rough voice that was charmingly smooth all the same, smiling at the girl who suddenly felt very cold within her armor. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Siegrain," she replied curtly. While this wasn't the same boy that had haunted her since childhood, his smirk, his eyes, his entire face was unmistakably the same as the one in her nightmares. "Why have you brought me here?"

His being flickered. This wasn't the real, flesh-and-bone Council Member Siegrain, but rather a projection he was transmitting, likely from their central headquarters in Era. "Come now, Erza," he grinned. "It's been a long time since we've last spoken. I was hoping we could at least begin civilly enough."

Despite her best efforts, her frown broke through. "You just interrupted a good fight I was having with a friend, so forgive me for not being in the mood for pleasantries," she said sardonically.

Siegrain chuckled, then reached across the desk to cup her chin. Even though he was merely an apparition, she could feel a chilling pressure on her skin where he would've been touching her. She jerked her head back, scowling at him maliciously. "It's unbecoming of such a beautiful young lady to appear so serious all the time," he said, returning properly to his seat. "I do wish you would smile at me more. It pains me that I'm never rewarded for my efforts with even that much from you."

Erza hated him. She despised him more than anyone she'd ever met in her life. Still, there was a reason she put up with such a loathsome man. "Quit with your insane game," she demanded. "Have you found it yet? Have you found...?"

The Wizard Saint observed her with what most would misinterpret as a placid expression. Erza couldn't help but feel small under his gaze, his head tilted to the side, propped up by his arm. And she knew he knew how it made her feel. "I want to know," he finally began, elongating his speech, "if you've told anyone."

"No," came her pointed response.

He wasn't deterred from pressing on, his smirk intact. "I've heard rumors that Makarov is considering retirement in the coming future, and that he has begun to make a list of those who could possibly succeed him as the next Guild Master of Fairy Tail. Needless to say, if you are on that list, it means that he has a great deal of trust in you - trust that is likely to be reciprocated."

"I've never spoken a word to Master Makarov about the Tower," she said, forcing her resolve at his insinuation. "So have you found it, or learned anything new, or are you just wasting my time?"

Siegrain stared at her with the same look she detested for another moment before answering. "The oceans are a vast place." The redhead almost crushed the armrest of her chair at this, but softened her grip when he continued. "However, I strongly feel like I've made progress. I have eliminated a thousand-mile radius ranging from your landing spot in Fiore to the western seas."

Erza exhaled, looking down at her bare knees. It was only now that she began to feel worn from her prior battle. "I need to stop him," she whispered to herself.

" _We_ will stop him," Siegrain corrected, suddenly stone-faced. "My brother will not realize -"

A knock interrupted him, drawing both of their eyes to the doors. They opened without any kind of push again, allowing a stunning black-haired woman in white silk robes to enter. Her hips swayed with raw sensuality as she made her way to Siegrain's desk. She sat down on the corner cross-legged, studying Erza with a smile coated in red lipstick.

"What are you doing here, Ultear?" he asked of the woman, his fellow Council Member.

"I heard that you'd summoned the mighty 'Titania' Erza. I only wanted to see such a famed warrior for myself as well as pay her for the mission her guild took in stopping that dark guild Eisenwald as well as Lullaby," she replied as she handed Erza the reward money. She had the seductive voice befitting of a temptress, but her tone was innocuously curious enough. "So just what is it that the two of you have been discussing so secretly?"

Erza and Seigrain shared a look. A second later, he answered with a serious expression. "It is exactly what you think it is. Erza and I are paramours."

"That is _not_ true!" the redhead shouted. She would never go along with that as their cover-up, and he knew it. She mentally kicked herself over having fallen into another of his stupid little snares with her reaction.

"Oh?" Ultear asked, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Well, I don't believe I'll be getting a straight answer from either of you. Perhaps I should leave, and give you two some time to get your story in order."

"That won't be necessary," the Fairy Tail mage said, rising from her seat as she bore a hole through the center of Siegrain's forehead. "I was just about to leave myself. Now, if you'll excuse me." She turned on her heel without bothering to look at the man's smirk, marching out of the room with a new focus.

"Erza, one last thing, you should know the council is ready to make an example out of Fairy Tail so you better make sure your guild stays well-behaved. I'd hate to see something bad to happen to it, because you guys can't control yourself."

Siegran had told her little of substance, so she would not dwell on their meeting. Instead, as she walked down the hallway, she tried to consist her thoughts solely on finding one of the Council's teleporting frogs to return her to Magnolia.

Ten seconds after Erza's exit, Ultear turned to Siegrain with a dark smile. "Well? Do you believe her?"

The blue-haired boy grinned as he ensconced himself in his chair. "I never doubted her for a moment. Erza would never do anything to bring even more harm to those friends of hers in the Tower. So long as we keep giving that girl the slightest bit of hope that her efforts will one day mean something, she will do whatever I ask of her. She alone almost makes our contingencies pointless. How is it that we are fortunate enough to have such a perfect pawn?"

Ultear's smirk grew even wider as her eyes narrowed surreptitiously at him. "How fortunate, indeed we are."

 **\- 0 -**

Lucy was right in the middle of a demonstration of Cana's Card Magic when Erza walked through the guild doors. Instead of quieting down over her severity, all the other wizards instead watched her with a sort of anticipation, as if she would reveal the details of her rendezvous with Siegrain. Instead, she made a beeline for the bar counter. Without a word, she held up three fingers to the barkeeper, who promptly presented her with three slices of cheesecake.

"Whoa," Gray whispered. Sitting at the table with Lucy and Cana, he was the recipient of the brunette's fortune-telling abilities. "Erza never binges like that unless she's really down. I wonder what happened with that Council guy?"

"You know how she is," Cana said with a swig from her mug, before picking up the cards on the table and reshuffling her deck. "She won't say anything to anyone, and if you're dumb enough to ask her about it..."

After the abrupt ending to their fight, Natsu, accompanied by Happy, ventured into the East Forest to let off some steam. What that meant, exactly, Lucy didn't know, but if the flying cat looked excited about it, perhaps that was for the best. She instead returned to the hall with Cana, who offered to read her fortune with her magic cards. While she could admit to being a little intrigued as to what the future held for her, she decided she'd rather enjoy the surprises when they came to be. After some sweet pleading, Cana roped Gray into a reading instead, stating that it had been too long since their last session.

"Let's try this again," she said, finishing up the shuffling. Erza's return had broken her concentration, so she would have to begin the process from the start. She held the deck out to Gray, who accepted it with a sigh. He held it in between his hands, the stack of cards letting off a glow within his hold. After a moment, he passed them back to their owner. Cana set the deck on the table once more, and closed her eyes in focus. Slowly, one by one, cards drifted out from the deck from its varied order, laying themselves face-down between the two involved wizards.

This was where they had been interrupted. The first time, only two cards had been drawn out before Erza had arrived. Now, the spell was able to be completed, a total of four cards set. Lucy watched carefully as the first card flipped itself over, revealing a picture of a red heart melting into a dark, murky puddle.

"Looks like you've got unrequited love in your future," Cana said with a knowing smile.

"Awesome," Gray muttered dryly.

Lucy couldn't help but smile a little at the shades of disappointment on his face. One of her favorite quotes to come from a novel dearest to her was 'Unrequited love is the mark of a kind person'. She wouldn't have expected the cool Gray to remind her of that excerpt, but his reaction over the thought was kind of cute.

The following card in the sequence turned over, although instead of facing towards Cana the reader, it faced Gray. This cast a pensive look on her face as she considered the picture before her. It was of a man journeying on a dirt path, but rather than showing the road ahead of him, it displayed the trail he had left behind.

"What does that mean?" Lucy asked for an explanation when it seemed Gray wanted one, but wouldn't formulate the question.

Instead of replying, Cana flipped the next card face-up. Again it was turned towards Gray. This time, the picture was of a bright full moon. It was originally blue in color, but after a second, a glow turned it purple. The brunette raised her eyebrows at the change, while Gray frowned, and Lucy appeared spooked.

After having done numerous fortune-tellings with Cana over the years, the ice mage had learned better than to question her cards before she decided to answer. This was a unique case, though. "That's never happened before," he said in a low voice. "What's that mean?"

Again, Cana remained silent at the inquiry. The last card revealed itself, upside-down just as the last two had been. It featured an island with a sunny background, but only for an instant before the artwork shifted again. The blue sky became the navy of the night, and the fluffy white clouds it had sported thinned into black bat-shaped wings. The yellow sun, into the same violet moon from the previous card.

For almost a minute, no one at their table spoke. Even the energetic chatter of the guild seemed to be on mute as the older girl tried to process what her cards were communicating, transfixed by the images. Lucy finally took it upon herself to break the silence. "Hey, Cana?"

"Gray," she said softly, sounding uncertain still, "have you ever been to a place called Galuna Island?"

"Galuna Island?" he repeated. "No. Never even heard of it. Why? What're the cards saying?"

Factoring in his answer, Cana drummed her fingernails on the table for another second before committing to her response. "I'm not really sure. All I can say is that there's something important from your past at Galuna Island, and you should probably be there."

Gray frowned. "My past...?" He peered down at the cards before him, as if trying to decode them himself.

Lucy had been informed that many of the younger wizards in Fairy Tail had traveled tragic walks of life that lead them to the guild, Gray being one of them. Unlike some of the others, he had been very reserved about what that entailed, as only the girl beside her was privy to his story. She suddenly felt awkward, as if this moment should probably be shared between him and Cana.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear," a strong voice said off to the side. Erza approached them, holding the small plate with her last piece of dessert. She had regained her normal form, even as prepared for her next bite. "You were discussing Galuna Island?"

"You know about it?" Gray asked quickly, then settled down. He didn't want to get ahead of himself.

Erza, ever the proper lady, paused for a moment, not wanting to speak with her mouth full. As she continued to chew, she turned her gaze up to the second floor of the guild hall. "There's an S-Class mission waiting to be completed there," she said after swallowing.

"What kind of mission?" Lucy asked, hoping she didn't come off as nosy. Since teaming up with Mira, the prospects of S-Class work held great interest for her, especially when she learned that the jobs were kept away from those that had yet to achieve the rank. The Take Over mage had explained about the request board on the second floor, forbidding anyone that hadn't passed the trials from even browsing through the extremely perilous jobs.

"If I recall correctly, it's supposed to be cursed," the redhead said. This caused them to look at the last card again, the island at night with bats flying in the sky. "The locals believe that they are under a wicked spell, and that the moon is the source of their plight. Thus, they are asking those that would accept the mission to destroy the moon."

Cana actually stopped mid-drink to stare at her with utmost cynicism. "You're joking, right?" she said, sounding far away as she spoke into the confines of her mug.

Erza shrugged. "It's odd, yes, but the mission has been validated as S-Class for a reason. There must be sinister forces at play, and the locals are simply under the wrong impression of what's truly going on."

Gray suddenly stood from from his seat on the bench. "Erza," he began, looking straight into the eyes of his old friend with absolute conviction. "I need you to take me to Galuna Island."

She didn't process his request for more than a handful of seconds before she refused. "I'm sorry, but no."

"Cana said there's something there, waiting for me," he continued, undeterred. "I need an S-Class Wizard to get me there, and you could do that."

Erza shook her head. "The meeting Master Makarov just returned from was to stress the importance of mission safety. After a team of unsuspecting wizards were killed during what was supposed to be a relatively harmless book-retrieval mission, their deaths were covered up by not just the culprits - the client failed to report them at the time, as well," she explained, looking at Lucy. She had heard of the hand she'd had in bringing the villainous Duke Everlue and Vanish Brothers to justice. "The Guild Masters are now paying more attention with making sure that clients are honest with their requests' level of danger, so something like that won't repeat itself. I won't be taking an unqualified wizard on an S-Class mission on the heels of their decision."

It was evident that Gray was keeping himself from snarling at her. "Please. Erza. This is important. If that curse is somehow connected to me, I have to know." The anger he displayed toned down, leaving him looking almost sad. "I don't want any more people hurt because of me."

The armored wizard also relaxed a bit, but held her stance. "You remember what happened a few years ago when Mira took her siblings out on an S-Class quest, right? I don't want something similar happening to you."

"That was because they weren't ready for it," he said, flaring up again. "I wouldn't have been two years ago, either, but now I'm strong enough to hold my own if it came down to it."

"Are you sure about that?" Erza asked. It wasn't that she didn't believe him. She wanted to know if he believed that himself.

"Why not just take a whole team of wizards with you?" Cana suggested as if it was as obvious as her need for a refill. "Destroying the moon doesn't sound like a two-person job."

"You'll come with us?" Gray asked, sounding hopeful in thanks for her support. "That'd be perfect; you're practically S-Class anyway."

The brunette leaned back in her seat nonchalantly. "I didn't say that, exactly, but I'll go..." she said, before wrapping an arm around Lucy's shoulders with a big grin, "...if we get to bring our favorite new girl with us."

"Wait a sec -" Lucy cried, trying to wrestle free. "You wanna take me on an S-Class job?"

Cana only pulled her in closer. "You just went with Mira and the others to waste a whole Dark Guild, remember? How much more dangerous can this be?" she asked breezily.

Erza crossed her arms over her designer breastplate. "I've heard of your accomplishments so far in the short amount of time you've been with us, Lucy. I understand you're a remarkable young mage," she said (naturally, this reeked of Happy's influence), "but since I've seen you in action for myself, I will admit you have impressed me and I would love to see more of what you can do."

Whatever was necessary to get to that island, Gray was on board with. If bringing Lucy was Cana's condition, he was fine with that. "Then why don't we add one more, someone you're already familiar with?" he said, looking past the girls to the table behind them. "You've been listening to all this, haven't you, Loke? You wanna come along?"

The young man with his back to them suddenly stiffened at being called out. He turned his head to face them, but meekly averted Lucy's curious watch. "Yeah, I heard it all. Sounds like fun, but, I don't know..."

"Is that because of me?" Lucy asked him, hoping to catch his eyes. "Look, these guys would be better off if they had someone with more experience than me, so you can go in my place."

"No way," Cana reneged. She walked up from her spot at her table, only to sit back down next to Loke. "Whatever issues you've got with Celestial Wizards, get over them, 'cause Lucy's coming along with us, and so are you." Loke didn't seem to be ready to take that leap, but he did look a little more comfortable with a beautiful girl at his side. Cana noticed this immediately, putting on a flirty smile. "Are you really gonna pass up the opportunity to ride on a cozy ferry with this trifecta? Blonde, brunette, redhead; every man's dream."

For fear of losing out on his help, Gray didn't mention how it was basically his job they were all being recruited for, so he wouldn't be the only boy present on the ferry. Meanwhile, Erza and Lucy shared a look that told the other they weren't very happy with Cana's pitch, but they too refrained from speaking out.

After going through everyone's gaze, Loke stopped at Lucy's for a quick second. In that instant, she managed to give him an encouraging smile, enough to tint the womanizer's cheeks the tiniest bit of pink. He sighed as he adjusted his glasses, hoping to distract from his blush. "Fine. I'm in."

"Great!" Lucy cheered, already thinking ahead to the S-Class reward waiting at the end of their mission. Saving a cursed island sounded especially daunting, so surely the locals would make it worth their while. Even with having to divide their earnings by five ways, her rent could potentially be set for the duration of her lease. "So, how much does this job pay?"

Erza sighed as she climbed the stairway up to the hall's second floor. She had never actually confirmed that she would take Gray to Galuna Island, but by the time the others consented to the team, it would've crushed her to say no. After her meeting with Siegrain about what she hoped to accomplish regarding her past, she couldn't in good conscience, deprive Gray of the same. As vague as Cana's prediction was, she had deemed it significant, and her history with fortune-telling spoke for itself.

She also couldn't deny the power of their unit. As Gray had mentioned, Cana had the strength and smarts of an S-Class wizard, while the boys were two of the brightest up-and-coming mages in the guild. Lucy was the unknown commodity, but she had gained an impressive reputation in a very short amount of time, earning even Mirajane's approval. With this collection, hopefully they would avoid a disaster like The Beast job from two years back.

After she removed the flyer from the S-Class board and turned it in to Master Makarov, she looked over to the group they'd assembled, smiling back graciously at her for the opportunity. For the first time, she would be going on a mission as part of a team, and she couldn't help but be a little excited at the idea herself.


End file.
